61 replies to this topic

[Still Waters]

Millions of people around the world suffer from a self-mutilating and often painful addiction to biting their nails, which can be harder to quit than smoking cigarettes, but is often overlooked as a relatively benign habit.

Medical experts are now taking a closer look at the addiction and have decided to change its classification from a mere habit to a full-fledged obsessive-compulsive disorder.

http://www.dailymail...l-disorder.html

[Kasey2601]

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.

[ouija ouija]

I quote from the article: 'Nailbiters looking to quit their addiction may find they are less inclined to stick their fingers in their mouths if they put lemon juice or hot sauce on their digits' ...... hmmm, let's see ...... do people want everything they touch to smell of lemon(not too bad, but acts as a bleach), or hot sauce? If they've chewed their nails down so far that the skin is broken and they are sore, can you seriously expect them to put lemon or hot sauce on them? The pain would be awful!

I think it's right that extreme nailbiting should be classed as a mental disorder; if an animal did it we would know they were distressed, we wouldn't ignore it.

[Still Waters]

There used to be a bottle of "Nail Bitter" (I think it was called) you could buy. It was like clear nail varnish and tasted horrible. In my teens I used to bite my nails so tried putting that on them. It kind of worked but I stopped biting my nails myself after that.

Edited by Still Waters, 04 November 2012 - 01:17 PM.
spelling

[Eldorado]

It's certainly a mental disorder if it's someone elses nails you are biting, imo.  (with exception of parents biting babies nails)

[Babe Ruth]

It does seem that some nail biting might be obsessive/compulsive behavior, but the word "disorder" should not be used.

RIP Thomas Szasz, the great man who pointed out that metaphorical diseases of the mind are usually not accurate.  That is, it's not really a disease, but just a pattern of behavior.

Jacob Sullum writes about it in the current snail mail edition of REASON magazine.

[ouija ouija]

Still Waters, on 04 November 2012 - 01:16 PM, said:

There used to be a bottle of "Nail Bitter" (I think it was called) you could buy. It was like clear nail varnish and tasted horrible. In my teens I used to bite my nails so tried putting that on them. It kind of worked but I stopped biting my nails myself after that.

Bitter Aloes  

[Orcseeker]

I think it is more of a result of anxiety or stress rather than a whole new thing. The feeling of pain giving them something else to feel other than the others.

[MissMelsWell]

I used to be a chronic nail biter... a set of acryic nails cured me of the habit. It worked so well, I'm able to grow my natural nails out long now. Nail technicians can even put a layer of acrylic on mens nails and you'd never notice it if they're done right.

[Still Waters]

ouija ouija, on 04 November 2012 - 01:51 PM, said:

Bitter Aloes  

Oh! thank you! I knew it was "Bitter" something

[Simbi Laveau]

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.

*waves fist*
Yes,but medical EXPERTS say its so ,so it must be true ,because moronic ...errrr,medical EXPERTS ,know EVERYTHING !!!!
I grovel at their medical expert feet,like the lowly worm that I am ....using common sense and all ....
ALL HAIL MEDICAL EXPERTS !

[Simbi Laveau]

Babe Ruth, on 04 November 2012 - 01:47 PM, said:

It does seem that some nail biting might be obsessive/compulsive behavior, but the word "disorder" should not be used.

RIP Thomas Szasz, the great man who pointed out that metaphorical diseases of the mind are usually not accurate.  That is, it's not really a disease, but just a pattern of behavior.

Jacob Sullum writes about it in the current snail mail edition of REASON magazine.

Yes,but if its classified as a disorder,they can prescribe them psych meds ! Isn't that wonderful !
Another way to make money off another sickness that doesn't even exist !

[Hasina]

I was a really bad nail bitter in my early teens, chewed them right down where the nail didn't even get close to the end of my finger. It was a nervous habit that bordered on a compulsion, I just had to chew them down, no reason, just had to. My mother made me wear gloves anytime I was in her presence in the hope that it would actually help. Over time it did, that and her constant nagging about what my nails looked like. I still do it on occasion but I can hear my mom in the back of my head 'what are you doing? I can't stand that noise. It makes your hands look awful'.

I can see how for some people it is a mental disorder, but for many it's probably just a bad habit that can be quit after some time of not doing it.

[lightly]

My sister used to bite her toenails.    lol  she got over it.. i think.

[Hasina]

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.

It differs from person to person. Ever seen an OCD person who touches a door knob three times before leaving a room or something like that? To you or me it's as simple as 'hey, let's NOT touch the door knob three times, easy peasy', but for them, it causes anxiety, fear, and a whole host of other feelings that they're just doing something wrong when they don't do that.

As the article also pointed out: 'Habits that are commonly associated with OCD include repetitive hand-washing and hair-pulling. The disease is characterized by unreasonable thoughts and fears that lead to such repetitive behaviors.
The occasional chewed nail isn’t an indication of the disorder, medical experts assure.
‘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,’ Carol Mathews, M.D., a psychiatrist at the University of California, San Francisco, told NBC News.'

Your nail biting, and probably mine as well since I quit it relatively easy, weren't caused by a mental disorder, they weren't symptoms of OCD or anything else, we just had a bad habit that took some time to quit. For others, it's an indicator of something bigger. Everyone's different and exhibit things differently, for some it is a mental disorder and shouldn't be looked over, especially when it hinders the use of your hands.