Isla Bennett
Nail biting, also known as onychophagy or onychophagia, is a common oral compulsive habit. It is estimated that 25-35% of children bite their nails, and many continue the habit into adulthood. While nail biting is not always pathological, it can be a source of shame and guilt, and it can lead to harmful effects on the fingers, such as infections. Nail biting is often associated with other body-focused repetitive behaviours, such as skin picking, skin biting, and hair pulling. It can also be a sign of emotional or mental stress, and it has been linked to anxiety and other psychiatric disorders.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Onychophagy or onychophagia |
| Prevalence | Very common, especially among children (25-35%) |
| Classification | Impulse control disorder, obsessive-compulsive and related disorders, "other specified behavioral and emotional disorders with onset usually occurring in childhood and adolescence" |
| Co-occurring disorders | Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, separation anxiety disorder, trichotillomania, onychotillomania, excoriation disorder, dermatophagia, bruxism |
| Effects | Guilt, shame, reduced quality of life, stigmatization, harm to fingers (infections) |
| Cause | Emotional or mental stress, anxiety, nervousness, feeling down |
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What You'll Learn
- Nail biting is a compulsive habit, sometimes described as a parafunctional activity
- It is very common, especially among children
- Pathological forms of nail biting are considered an impulse control disorder
- It can be a source of guilt and shame, reducing quality of life
- It can be a sign of emotional or mental stress
Nail biting is a compulsive habit, sometimes described as a parafunctional activity
Nail biting is also associated with other body-focused repetitive behaviours, such as onychotillomania (nail picking), excoriation disorder (skin picking), dermatophagia (skin biting), and trichotillomania (the urge to pull out hair). It is also associated with bruxism (tooth clenching and grinding), and other habits such as pen chewing and cheek biting. In children, nail biting most typically co-occurs with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other psychiatric disorders including oppositional defiant disorder and separation anxiety disorder.
While not all nail biting is pathological, the difference between harmful obsession and normal behaviour is not always clear. The earliest reference to nail biting as a symptom of anxiety was in the late 16th century in France. Today, nail biting is still often associated with nervousness, anxiety or feeling down. It is also thought that nail biting could be genetic, as children whose parents bite their nails are more likely to bite their nails, too.
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It is very common, especially among children
Nail biting, or onychophagy, is an oral compulsive habit. It is very common, especially among children, of whom 25-35% bite their nails. It is sometimes described as a parafunctional activity, which is the use of the mouth for an activity other than speaking, eating or drinking. Nail biting can be a source of guilt and shame, and it can reduce quality of life and increase stigmatisation. It is often associated with other body-focused repetitive behaviours such as onychotillomania (nail picking), excoriation disorder (skin picking), dermatophagia (skin biting) and trichotillomania (the urge to pull out hair). In children, nail biting most typically co-occurs with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other psychiatric disorders including oppositional defiant disorder and separation anxiety disorder.
Nail biting is a common, but unresolved, problem in psychiatry, psychology, medicine and dentistry. While it seems that nail biting is a simple behaviour that can be stopped easily, many children with the habit have already tried to stop it. It is not always clear whether nail biting is pathological or not, and the difference between harmful obsession and normal behaviour is not always clear. However, nail biting can lead to harmful effects on the fingers, such as infections.
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Pathological forms of nail biting are considered an impulse control disorder
Nail biting, also known as onychophagy or onychophagia, is an oral compulsive habit of biting one's fingernails. It is a very common habit, especially among children, with 25-35% biting their nails. While nail biting is not always pathological, more extreme forms of the habit are considered an impulse control disorder in the DSM-IV-R and are classified under obsessive-compulsive and related disorders in the DSM-5. The ICD-10 also classifies pathological nail biting as "other specified behavioural and emotional disorders with onset usually occurring in childhood and adolescence".
Pathological nail biting is often associated with feelings of guilt and shame in the nail biter, a reduced quality of life, and increased stigmatisation within family circles or at a societal level. It is also linked to other body-focused repetitive behaviours, such as onychotillomania (nail picking), excoriation disorder (skin picking), dermatophagia (skin biting), and trichotillomania (the urge to pull out hair). As an oral parafunctional activity, it is also associated with bruxism (tooth clenching and grinding), and other habits such as pen chewing and cheek biting.
In children, nail biting often co-occurs with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), with a 75% co-occurrence rate among one psychiatrically referred cohort of nail biters. It is also associated with other psychiatric disorders, including oppositional defiant disorder (36%) and separation anxiety disorder (21%). Nail biting may also be a sign of emotional or mental stress, as it tends to occur in people who are nervous, anxious or feeling down.
The habit can lead to harmful effects on the fingers, such as infections. While it may seem like a simple behaviour that can be stopped easily, nail biting is a common and unresolved problem in psychiatry, psychology, medicine and dentistry. Many children with the habit have already tried to stop but have been unable to do so.
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It can be a source of guilt and shame, reducing quality of life
Nail biting, also known as onychophagy or onychophagia, is an oral compulsive habit. It is very common, especially among children, of which 25-35% bite their nails. While it may not always be pathological, more extreme forms of nail biting are considered an impulse control disorder and are classified under obsessive-compulsive and related disorders in the DSM-5. The ICD-10 classifies the practice as "other specified behavioural and emotional disorders with onset usually occurring in childhood and adolescence".
Nail biting can be a source of guilt and shame, reducing quality of life. It is associated with other body-focused repetitive behaviours such as onychotillomania (nail picking), excoriation disorder (skin picking), dermatophagia (skin biting), and trichotillomania (the urge to pull out hair). It is also linked to bruxism (tooth clenching and grinding), and other habits such as pen chewing and cheek biting. Nail biting can lead to harmful effects on the fingers, such as infections.
In children, nail biting often co-occurs with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other psychiatric disorders including oppositional defiant disorder and separation anxiety disorder. It can be a sign of emotional or mental stress and is commonly seen in people who are nervous, anxious or feeling down.
While nail biting may seem like a simple behaviour that can be stopped easily, it is a common, unresolved problem in psychiatry, psychology, medicine and dentistry. Many children with this habit have already tried to stop it, but have been unable to do so.
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It can be a sign of emotional or mental stress
Nail biting, also known as onychophagy or onychophagia, is an oral compulsive habit. It is very common, especially among children, of which 25-35% bite their nails. While it may seem like a simple behaviour that can be stopped easily, many children with this habit have already tried to stop it. Nail biting can be a source of guilt and shame, a reduced quality of life, and increased stigmatisation.
Nail biting is sometimes described as a parafunctional activity, the common use of the mouth for an activity other than speaking, eating, or drinking. It is associated with other habits such as pen chewing, cheek biting, and bruxism (tooth clenching and grinding).
In children, nail biting most typically co-occurs with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (75% co-occurrence among one psychiatrically referred cohort of nail biters) and other psychiatric disorders including oppositional defiant disorder (36%) and separation anxiety disorder (21%). The earliest reference to nail biting as a symptom of anxiety was in the late sixteenth century in France.
Nail biting can be a sign of emotional or mental stress. It tends to show up in people who are nervous, anxious, or feeling down. It can also lead to harmful effects on the fingers, such as infections.
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Frequently asked questions
Nail biting is an oral compulsive habit of biting one's fingernails. It is sometimes described as a parafunctional activity, the common use of the mouth for an activity other than speaking, eating, or drinking.
Yes, nail biting is very common, especially among children, of which 25-35% bite their nails.
More pathological forms of nail biting are considered an impulse control disorder in the DSM-IV-R and are classified under obsessive-compulsive and related disorders in the DSM-5. The ICD-10 classifies the practice as "other specified behavioural and emotional disorders with onset usually occurring in childhood and adolescence". However, not all nail biting is pathological, and the difference between harmful obsession and normal behaviour is not always clear.
Nail biting can be a source of guilt and shame feelings in the nail biter, a reduced quality of life, and increased stigmatisation in the inner family circles or at a more societal level. Nail biting may also lead to harmful effects to the fingers, like infections.
Nail biting is sometimes associated with emotional or mental stress and tends to show up in people who are nervous, anxious or feeling down. In children, nail biting most typically co-occurs with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and other psychiatric disorders including oppositional defiant disorder and separation anxiety disorder.
