Nailbiting (onychophagia) is one of the most common BFRB's  (body-focused repetitive behaviour) affecting 20 - 30% of the population.

You seem to do this almost automatically. It's as if your mouth, fingers, and teeth have a mind of their own and are outside of your control. You bite your nails, chew the skin around them or your cuticles. You become absorbed in a particular piece of skin, tidying up a nail or making sure that a certain piece of skin is smooth. A never-ending task as your nails and skin are always jagged and unkempt.

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Nailbiting is often something that accompanies you when you're thinking about a problem or worrying, the tension in your thoughts shifting to nail-biting. You literally eat yourself up.

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As a result of your compulsive habit, your fingers and skin can be sore and red sometimes even bleed.

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If you're ready to stop this habit and want to have nails and hands that you no longer feel embarrassed or ashamed about, cognitive-behavioural hypnotherapy can help.

 

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