Is Nail Biting A Habit Or A Disease?

Nail biting is also termed as onychophagia or onychophagy. It is defined as an oral compulsive habit and described too as a parafunctional activity, which is the common use of the mouth for an activity. On the other hand, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, it is categorized with obsessive-compulsive and related disorders.

Medscape reports that in the 10th edition of the International Classification of Diseases, nail biting is classed with other specified behavioral and emotional disorders with onset usually occurring in childhood and adolescence. These include nose picking, excessive masturbation and thumb sucking.

The precise cause of nail biting is debatable. Likewise, its causes include psychological, familial factors or acquired. In familial factors, the nail-biter could imitate the nail-biting behavior of some family members. Nail biting is more predominant among children whose parents are nail biters.

Nail biting is achieved when there is a sign of loss of control over difficult tasks. It is linked with behaviors such as nervousness, low mood, stress and anxiety. In some cases, boredom and low activity may trigger nail biting. Other causes of nail biting are low self-esteem and hunger.

Some psychiatric disorders are associated with nail biting. In a study, there is at least one comorbid psychiatric disorder was presented in more than two-thirds of children who were nail biters and over one half of the parents of those children had at least one psychiatric illness, in particular, the major depressive disorder. On the other hand, there was one study wherein no link between the age of onset or the frequency of onychophagia and psychiatric illness was found.

The psychiatric illnesses associated with nail biting in children and adolescents are separation anxiety disorder (20 percent), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (74 percent), mental retardation (9 percent), tic disorder (12 percent), enuresis (15 percent), major depressive disorder (6 percent) oppositional defiant disorder (36 percent) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (11 percent).

The approach in treating the nail biters is to discourage them from doing the nail biting. In doing so, the treatment for it is to apply a bitter-tasting nail polish, which is the denatonium benzoate to the nails. This is known as the most bitter chemical compound. The nail biters may also undergo behavioral therapy, stimulus control therapy, habit reversal training (HRT), in which it is replaced by more constructive habit. The self-help techniques show positive results too.