WHY WE BITE OFF MORE THAN WE CAN CHEW
People bite their nails primarily out of habit. It’s a psychological phenomenon, like skin picking, and is done in times of stress and out of boredom, usually unconsciously. There are many triggers for nail biting – anxiety, loneliness, frustration – it runs the gamut of psychological conditions. Some research suggests that genetics may play a role in who becomes a nail biter, indicating that it runs in families and may be passed from generation to generation.
There is also a serious psychological condition that may be associated with fingernail biting. The condition is obsessive-compulsive disorder, commonly referred to by its initials, OCD. Obsessive-compulsive disorders manifest themselves in the need to do something continuously – whether it’s hand washing, checking to make sure the stove isn’t lit before leaving the house, or perhaps checking e-mail.
Those who manifest obsessive-compulsive disorders have been found to be more prone to nail biting, and also seem to present with other psychological disorders, including attention deficit hyperactivity, oppositional defiant disorder, separation anxiety, and bed-wetting. Severe nail biting that causes extensive damage to the nail and skin can be classified as a form of self-mutilation that’s similar to the practice of cutting.
A doctor can diagnose the condition, and may refer the patient to a mental health provider.
The classification of nail-biting as a mental illness is relatively new. Termed “pathological grooming” by medical professionals, the disorder is now listed in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the bible of the profession. The practice of nail biting is now listed as an obsessive-compulsive disorder, and its certification has elevated the concerns over the practice, particularly when the habit continues into adulthood.