61 replies to this topic

[little_dreamer]

with bells on, on 05 November 2012 - 09:38 AM, said:

i know this performance artist/writer, who sat in front of myself and about 12 friends and started biting her toe nails.. its was beyond feral.. especialy since we had been out partying and dancing all night and it was the next day (and she hadn't showered)..

That must have been an awkward moment. (shudders)

[The Id3al Experience]

spud the mackem, on 05 November 2012 - 04:47 PM, said:

Analysing under nails scrapes reveals all kinds of horrors which are picked during daily handling of almost anything,so by biting your nails you are transferring this rubbish to your mouth.Then you wonder how your picked up a nasty virus.A car steering wheel holds a few million bacteria.

Been biting my nails for as long as I had teeth, and I very rarely get sick (touch Wood) - I have seen all the nastys under the nail and it put me off for 5 mintues.

My mother bite her nails from age 5 to 18
my brother and I still to this day bite our nails?

Iv tried everything to stop, from the nail polish that tastes yuk, i use to eat that too, lemons - well I love lemon didnt work - never tired hot sauce however, after a couple of toliets trips this woulod wash off - sooooo dont know how that works.

have no idea why I do it, maybe its something to do with my mother since her and my brother do/did it

Edited by The Id3al Experience, 06 November 2012 - 02:18 AM.

[Gravitorbox]

I don't think you can classify nailbaiting in itself a mental disorder; you could classify it as a symptom of a disorder though. Compulsive nailbaiting is indeed a neurotic trait, could be associated with a plethora of anxiety disorders.

[little_dreamer]

Think of the alternative to nail biting.  Is this preferable?
http://www.google.co...ingernails long

[highdesert50]

One of the most common ways to transmit disease is hands to mouth so if you are going to be compulsive about nail biting at least be compulsive about hand washing.

[Babe Ruth]

Hasina, on 04 November 2012 - 07:26 PM, said:

It's the outward sign of the disorder. It's like the flu, many people show the normal signs, runny nose, sore throat, fatigue, etc. Those aren't the actual virus, the virus is the flu, not the symptoms, but we treat the symptoms to treat the virus. I do agree with you, not all nail biting is OCD, but some nail biting could be OCD. It's like the old phrase, not all rectangles are squares but all squares are rectangles.

People themselves need to take stock in what's actually wrong with them, if they want to run to the doctors every time they think something is wrong with them, let them. The experts are there to provide this to you, it's up to you if you think you're crazy enough to need pills. But again, this doesn't make experts holier then though people who's words should be taken as the solid truth, they can be wrong. Take every advice they give you with a grain of salt. Just because it's not true for you doesn't mean it's not true for someone. The worst problem of this pill popper generation are the parents who think their children are hyperactive because, gosh golly, they're acting like children.

You'll always have people in the middle, the people who may need pills to control certain things and they get on normally with life, then you have the people who don't need pills who get on just fine, then on the complete other side you have the people who believe something is wrong, think they need a pill because something might be wrong. It's the good, the bad, and the ugly. Just because some people will take advantage of these things 'man, I bite my nails, I must be OCD, pills plz,' doesn't mean it won't help someone who actually needs to be helped. Everyone part of the system has something wrong with it. From the individual to the very highest person, we're all complacent in it, but that doesn't give everything a completely black or white summation. 'Nail biting is a disorder!' nor is it 'nail biting isn't a disorder!' it's, 'for some people who exhibit this kind of behavior it could be a sign of underlying problem, it's up to the individual to have the moral and mental capacity to see that yes, it is actually a problem and not just a gross habit, and then go to someone who can help them.'

Except that the flu is caused by a virus.  Nail biting is not.

[Hasina]

Babe Ruth, on 06 November 2012 - 01:30 PM, said:

Except that the flu is caused by a virus.  Nail biting is not.

It's a simile.

[ouija ouija]

little_dreamer, on 06 November 2012 - 11:53 AM, said:

Think of the alternative to nail biting.  Is this preferable?
http://www.google.co...ingernails long

Yuck! Yuck! and thrice YUCK!! I don't know how people can live their day-to-day lives with nails that long. They must need help with everything they do ....... oh god! it doesn't bear thinking about

[Capt Amerika]

Awesome, now that its got a medical designation i can get me some of that taxpayer funded welfare and social security disability.
Because instead of just being a bad habit now its not my fault.
Thank you Obama!

[ouija ouija]

Capt Amerika, on 07 November 2012 - 12:41 PM, said:

Awesome, now that its got a medical designation i can get me some of that taxpayer funded welfare and social security disability.
Because instead of just being a bad habit now its not my fault.
Thank you Obama!

You may have to 'up your game' a bit ..... I think all your fingertips will need to be bleeding profusely before you'll qualify for help

[linttrap]

That's actually exactly right. It's always a matter of degree. Habits that significantly affect normal functioning can rise to the level of being considered a mental disorder.

Quote

OCD is most-commonly characterized by unreasonable thoughts and fears (obsessions) that lead you to do repetitive behaviors (compulsions). It's important to note that only certain types of nail biters--the extreme cases--fit into this category. "As with hair pulling and skin picking, nail biting isn't a disorder unless it is impairing, distressing, and meets a certain clinical level of severity," says Carol Mathews, M.D., a psychiatrist at the University of California, San Francisco. "That is not the vast majority of nail bitters," she says. "It is a very small minority of people."
What counts as clinical severity? "They have bitten so much that they are getting infections," Mathews says. "There is physical damage that is impairing their ability to use their hands."

[Chooky88]

Every time a psych needs a phd they make a new disease. I was instructed at work not to use the term "brain storm"as some tosser doctor decided to use that term for a mental disease in children. And therefore it is now politically incorrect. This guy hijacked the English language. Joke.

[UFO_Monster]

If this is being called a disorder, then they might as well label tapping feet the same thing.

[ouija ouija]

UFO_Monster, on 17 November 2012 - 02:02 AM, said:

If this is being called a disorder, then they might as well label tapping feet the same thing.

They already do .... it's called Restless Legs Syndrome(seriously)

[CuriousGreek]

Lady Kasey, on 04 November 2012 - 12:55 PM, said:

Okay this is about the dumbest thing I have heard. They want everything to be a mental disorder so we can see how f'ed up we all are? Nail biting isn't hard to quit. I did it as a young teenager on my own without help of any kind.

I don't see why you couldn't quit doing this habit and congratulations for stopped doing it (not using irony here), but there might be people around the globe, who can't quit this habit so easily as you.

Edited by CuriousGreek, 18 November 2012 - 04:34 PM.