Liam Carter
Nail biting, also known as onychophagy or onychophagia, is an oral compulsive habit of biting one's fingernails. It is very common, especially among children, of which 25-35% bite their nails. Nail biting can lead to harmful effects on the fingers, such as infections, and can also have social consequences. While it is sometimes described as a parafunctional activity, nail biting is not always a sign of a psychological disorder.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| What is it? | Nail biting, also known as onychophagy or onychophagia, is an oral compulsive habit of biting one's fingernails. |
| Who does it? | Nail biting is very common, especially amongst children, of which 25-35% bite nails. |
| Is it a disorder? | 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 everyone with these disorders bites their nails, and biting your nails doesn't mean you have a psychological disorder. |
| What are the effects? | Nail biting can lead to harmful effects to the fingers, like infections. These can be caused by the physical damage of biting or from the hands becoming an infection vector. It can also transfer pinworms or bacteria from the anus region to the mouth. If the bitten-off nails are swallowed, stomach problems can develop. Nail biting can also have social consequences, such as withdrawal and avoiding handshakes. |
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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
- More pathological forms of nail biting are considered an impulse control disorder
- Nail biting can lead to harmful effects to the fingers, like infections
- It can also transfer pinworms or bacteria from the anus region to the mouth
Nail biting is a compulsive habit, sometimes described as a parafunctional activity
Nail biting is an oral compulsive habit, sometimes described as a parafunctional activity. This means that the mouth is being used for an activity other than speaking, eating or drinking. It is very common, especially among children, of which 25-35% bite their nails. Nail biting can include biting the nail, the cuticle, and the tissue around the nail.
Nail biting is considered a pathological disorder in the DSM-IV-R and is 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 everyone with these disorders bites their nails, and biting your nails does not necessarily mean you have a psychological disorder.
Nail biting can lead to harmful effects on the fingers, such as infections. These consequences are a direct result of the physical damage of biting or from the hands becoming an infection vector. For example, biting nails can lead to broken skin on the cuticle, which can become infected by saliva. Nail biting can also transfer pinworms or bacteria from the anus region to the mouth. If the bitten-off nails are swallowed, this can cause stomach problems and increase the risk of stomach and intestinal infections.
Nail biting can also have social consequences, such as withdrawal and avoiding handshakes. It can be a source of guilt and shame for the nail biter, leading to a reduced quality of life and increased stigmatisation within family circles or at a societal level.
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It is very common, especially among children
Nail biting, also known as onychophagy or onychophagia, is an oral compulsive habit of biting one's fingernails. It is very common, especially among children, of which 25–35 per cent bite their nails. Nail biting can include biting the nail, the cuticle, and the tissue around the nail. It can lead to harmful effects on the fingers, such as infections. These consequences are directly derived from the physical damage of biting or from the hands becoming an infection vector. For example, when cuticles are improperly removed, they are susceptible to microbial and viral infections such as paronychia. Saliva may then redden and infect the skin.
Nail biting can also transfer pinworms or bacteria buried under the surface of the nail from the anus region to the mouth. If the bitten-off nails are swallowed, stomach problems can occasionally develop. Beyond soreness of the nails and surrounding skin, side effects can include an increased risk of stomach and intestinal infections. Nail biting can also have social consequences, such as withdrawal and avoiding handshakes. It 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.
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More 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 sometimes described as a parafunctional activity, which is the common use of the mouth for an activity other than speaking, eating, or drinking. Nail biting is very common, especially among children, of which 25–35 per cent bite their nails.
Nail biting can include biting the nail, the cuticle, and the tissue around the nail. This can lead to harmful effects on the fingers, such as infections. These consequences are directly derived from the physical damage of biting or from the hands becoming an infection vector. For example, biting nails can lead to broken skin on the cuticle, which can then become infected by saliva. In addition, habits like swallowing bitten-off nails can increase the risk of stomach and intestinal infections. Nail biting can also transfer pinworms or bacteria buried under the surface of the nail from the anus region to the mouth.
Not everyone with these disorders bites their nails. By the same token, biting your nails doesn’t mean you have a psychological disorder. Most nail biters don’t develop long-term damage, but it can happen.
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Nail biting can lead to harmful effects to the fingers, like infections
Nail biting can lead to harmful effects on the fingers, such as infections. Biting the nails can cause physical damage to the fingers, and the hands can become a vector for infections. Biting the nails can lead to broken skin on the cuticle, which can become infected by microbes and viruses, such as paronychia. Saliva can then redden and infect the skin. In addition, biting the nails can transfer pinworms or bacteria from the anus region to the mouth. If the nails are swallowed, this can cause stomach problems and increase the risk of intestinal infections.
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It can also transfer pinworms or bacteria from the anus region to the mouth
Nail biting, or onychophagy, is a common oral compulsive habit. It is very common among children, of which 25-35% bite their nails. Nail biting can include biting the nail, the cuticle, and the tissue around the nail. This can lead to harmful effects on the fingers, such as infections. These infections can be caused by physical damage to the nail or cuticle, or by the hands becoming a vector for infection.
Nail biting can also transfer pinworms or bacteria from the anus region to the mouth. Pinworms and bacteria can be buried under the surface of the nail. When the nails are bitten, these are transferred to the mouth. This can lead to stomach problems if the bitten-off nails are swallowed. This can increase the risk of stomach and intestinal infections.
Beyond the physical effects, nail biting can also have social consequences. These can include withdrawal and avoiding handshakes. Nail biting can also be a source of guilt and shame for the nail biter, leading to a reduced quality of life and increased stigmatisation within family circles or at a societal level.
Nail biting is sometimes considered a parafunctional activity, which is the common use of the mouth for an activity other than speaking, eating, or drinking. It is also associated with other parafunctional activities such as bruxism (tooth clenching and grinding), pen chewing, and cheek biting.
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Frequently asked questions
Nail biting, also known as onychophagy or onychophagia, 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.
Not everyone with a psychological disorder bites their nails, and not everyone who bites their nails has a psychological disorder. However, nail biting can be a source of guilt and shame, leading to a reduced quality of life and increased stigmatisation.
Nail biting can lead to soreness of the nails and surrounding skin, and can cause broken skin on the cuticle. It can also lead to stomach problems if the bitten-off nails are swallowed, and increase the risk of stomach and intestinal infections.
