“I don’t realise when I bite my nails, it is only when someone points it out that it dawns upon me,” says 25-year-old Sharika Santhosh, an assistant professor of English from Bengaluru.
Nail-biting in children is fairly common but most outgrow it. In some people, however, it persists into adulthood.
Sharika fell into the habit of biting fingernails during her teenage years. “It was around the time I was writing my tenth-grade board exams,” she says. “I remember being stressed due to the impending exams. My nail-biting habit sprang up during this period.”
Though Sharika stopped nail-biting soon after, she started again when she began working as an assistant professor.
“I find myself biting nails again of late,” she says. “It usually happens when I am stressed.”
When is nail-biting a problem?
“If one’s nail-biting interferes with their social, occupational functioning, if there’s visible damage and disfigurement of the nails, and if there have been several failed attempts to curb the habit, it can indicate a problem,” says Roma Kumar, senior consultant psychologist at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi.
Vaibhavi Sawant, a 26-year-old food blogger from Goa, recalls yearning for long nails as a teenager.
“As soon as my nails grew by a few inches, I would chew them off,” she recalls. “I could never bring myself to grow my nails long no matter how much I wanted to.”
Psyche of nail-biters
According to the TLC Foundation for Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors, a US-based advocacy organisation, nail-biting (or onychophagia) is often associated with tension before or when attempting to resist nail-biting, feelings of pleasure after biting, nail eating and psychological distress. Many describe this behaviour as “automatic.”
“While some people just bite nails, there are others who chew and ingest them,” says Kumar. “There have been instances where people have collected their bitten nails.”
Kumar adds that nail-biting may accompany other compulsive behaviours like hair pulling, skin picking and restless legs syndrome.
What causes nail-biting among children?
“Nail-biting can have several causes ranging from boredom [and] genetics to underlying psychological conditions like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD),” says Dr Parimala Thirumalesh, senior consultant, neonatology & pediatrics, Aster CMI Hospital, Bengaluru.
According to Kumar, nail-biting is a habit disorder and is often a learned response. “It can be picked up from the environment by emulating parents, siblings and peers who engage in it,” says Kumar. “Sometimes, people resort to nail-biting to cope with negative emotions, anxiety and stress, and attain temporary relief. The injuries from nail-biting and the resultant pain may also help them take their mind off their emotional distress.”
Consequences of biting fingernails
While nail-biting can seem innocuous, doing so repetitively can give rise to several issues. Dr Thirumalesh lists some consequences of compulsive nail-biting:
- Nail bed deformities: Nails protect the fingertips and surrounding tissues. Constant nail-biting can disfigure the nail bed, reduce the surface area of the nail and inhibit nail growth.
- Infections: The mouth is home to many bacteria. They can get transferred to the nails, causing infection of the nail bed and tissues around the nails or paronychia. Conversely, bacteria from the nails can also get into the mouth. Nail-biting also affects hand hygiene.
- Injuries: Persistent nail-biting can cause injuries, swelling around the nail, bleeding, redness and pain.
- Dental issues: Gum diseases, tooth decay, jaw disorders and cracked or chipped teeth due to friction between the nail and teeth.
Onychophagia can affect self-esteem
“Deformed nails may make the person feel embarrassed, giving rise to body image issues, low self-esteem and social withdrawal,” says Kumar.
Vaibhavi recalls her parents chiding her for biting her nails as a child and feeling embarrassed at being called out for her behaviour.
Dr Thirumalesh says that nail-biters can be engulfed with feelings of guilt because of the constant disapproval of their behaviour and a lack of control over themselves.
How to stop nail-biting in children?
Sharika trims her nails regularly to prevent herself from biting them. “Whenever I catch myself in the act, I immediately refrain by moving my hand away,” she says.
Dr Thirumalesh lists some ways to help children kick the nail-biting habit:
- Keep their hands occupied by engaging them in activities.
- Applying a bitter-tasting nail polish, neem oil or bitter gourd juice can cause an aversion to biting nails.
- Getting artificial or acrylic nails.
- Psychological interventions like play therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy.
Kumar also recommends dealing with underlying psychological issues such as stress and anxiety.
Takeaways
While nail-biting is common in children, its persistence is a cause of concern and can result in nail damage, infections and self-esteem issues. Applying bitter nail polish and dealing with underlying anxiety can help curb the habit.
