Nail biting in all its
various forms is problematic behavior beset by peculiarity and contradiction.
Technically speaking, the correct word for nail biting is ONYCHOPHAGIA.
Nail biting typically
begins between the ages of five and 10 and is common among children as well as
adults. As many as one in three Americans bite their nails.
One of the more
noteworthy and generally surprising things about nail biting is its high instance.
It crosses every social and economic barrier. Prevalence figures for children
are much higher than for adults.
Results of nail biting
can result in short, ragged nails. It may also lead to damaged cuticles as well
as bleeding around the edges of the nails. Infections can also develop if nails
are not properly attended to.
Most relevant studies
have found that nail biting tends to peak out around puberty.
A study by Malon and
Messmer studied the behavior in the Chicago school systems and reported that
nail biting is prevalent in about 60 percent of children age eight to eleven.
Most people agree it is
a learned habit, perhaps picked up by watching a parent or someone else biting
their nails.
Nail biting is an
extremely tough habit to break and treatment for it varies.
One possible solution
is identifying the reason for nail biting. Avoidance or modification of these
situations can be beneficial to the eventual elimination of the habit.
Improving self-esteem
is also helpful when attempting to break the habit.
Products such as
CONTROL-IT are available on the market and are designed to aid nail biters in
breaking their habit. According to www.stopbitingnails.com, CONTROL-IT is a
gentle and natural alternative to help prevent biting. A mild unpleasant taste
helps to remind users to stop biting their nails.
A host of research
efforts both in America and Europe sought to ascertain if in fact nail biting
was linked to mental illness in one form or another. Most people would have
anticipated they found a high prevalence of nail-biting among the mentally
disordered; however, they found that nail biting, in and of itself, is not
systematic of any form of mental disorder or maladjustment.
Nail biting crosses all
national borders, genders, and both social and economic lines and may also
originate from a primal need for self-grooming. It affects both the nails and
the cuticles; with greater potential harm caused via infection to the cuticle
and nail biting tends to be a private affair, and is a relatively isolated form
of self-indulgence.
Nail biting may be
treated addressing the symptom rather than the cause; it is a habit, not a
disease.
Share this
