Nail Biting
Nail biting is defined as a habitual practice in which people bite their fingernails or toenails. This practice is followed by the people when they are under stress, boredom, feel nervous, hunger or suffer from some mental disorder. Nail biting is also considered as a sign of oral fixation. In medical terms, nail biting is known as chronic onychophagia. This practice or habit is found in the people of all walks. Mostly, this habit is found in the young guys. Nail biting has various negatives effects on the health of the person. This practice can easily transport the bacteria from the surface that is under the nail to the body parts through the mouth. Some persons have broken skin. Broken skin is very prone to the vital and microbial infections. Nail biting process also shorten the nails. Shorts nails have a slow growth rate and there are also more chances of pain in the bitten fingertips. Some people who are not much habitual of nail biting process can apply a paste on their nails that is made up of the boiling leaves of the fresh aloe which is quite bitter in taste.
Some therapies are introduced by the doctors for the treatment of the nail biting. Few of them are behavioral therapy, medication, aversion therapy and many more. In the behavioral therapy, the first step is to the HBT, Habit Reversal Training. This process is divided into four sections and in this efforts are made to unlearn the habit or to replace the habit with any other good habit as habit of chewing gum. In the stimulus control therapy, efforts are made to eliminate the motivating or compelling factors which are responsible for the habit of nail biting. Other process is medication, in which the pills or some other medicines are given to the patients to eliminate the problem. Some of the medications are clomipramine, fluvoxamine, nefazodone, fluoxetine, paroxetine, sertraline, escitalopram, venlafaxine and many more. Some doctors go for some methods of the aversion therapy which include some methods in which the nails are coated by some vinegary taste substance. Some doctors ask the patient to wear a rubber band or something else that covers his nails. Stop Nail Biting. On some people all of these methods are doesn’t effective. It is very difficult for them to leave this habit. Some tactics are applied on them that include the activities to promise a mental note, or make a promise that they don’t bite the nails or promise to protect a nail in a particular duration etc.