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Nail biting classed as a mental disorder


Still Waters

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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

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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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 :tu:

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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.

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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.

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Bitter Aloes :tu:

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

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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 !

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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 !

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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.

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

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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.

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nail biting is not a disorder. geez

it is a symptom of other issues, not the issue itself. address why you do it, and you will be able to control it.

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nail biting is not a disorder. geez

it is a symptom of other issues, not the issue itself. address why you do it, and you will be able to control it.

That's the reason why it's classed as a mental disorder. The article says: 'The American Psychiatric Association is preparing to change the designation of nail biting from ‘not otherwise classified,’ to ‘obsessive compulsive disorder’ in its upcoming issue of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, NBC News reported.' OCD shows itself in many different ways, nail biting is just one of innumerable ways that it manifests. OCD itself is a mental disorder which is usually brought on by another issue. It's a symptom of the underlying problem, as you said, but that doesn't mean we should exclude something because it seems 'normal' and 'easy to stop', sometimes these issues aren't easy to face and many people can never face them fully.

Edited by Hasina
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That's the reason why it's classed as a mental disorder. The article says: 'The American Psychiatric Association is preparing to change the designation of nail biting from ‘not otherwise classified,’ to ‘obsessive compulsive disorder’ in its upcoming issue of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, NBC News reported.' OCD shows itself in many different ways, nail biting is just one of innumerable ways that it manifests. OCD itself is a mental disorder which is usually brought on by another issue. It's a symptom of the underlying problem, as you said, but that doesn't mean we should exclude something because it seems 'normal' and 'easy to stop', sometimes these issues aren't easy to face and many people can never face them fully.

i understand it differnetly than you .

a symptom of a disorder is not a disorder.

nail biting is not the disorder. there are several things that might cause one to habitually bite one's nails, and not all of them are going to be due to mental illness.

i notice that these experts are creating pill poppers out of the general population with their claims that virtually any problem in life is due to mental illness.

what crap

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i understand it differnetly than you .

a symptom of a disorder is not a disorder.

nail biting is not the disorder. there are several things that might cause one to habitually bite one's nails, and not all of them are going to be due to mental illness.

i notice that these experts are creating pill poppers out of the general population with their claims that virtually any problem in life is due to mental illness.

what crap

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.'

Edited by Hasina
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Nail bitting?

Hmmm... that makes sense now. I had always wondered how my garage suddenly collapsed after several visits from my nephew. :passifier:

Edited by pallidin
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I agree with JGirl, I think it's a symptom of the disorder rather than the disorder itself. My 7 year old son has Asperger's Syndrome, and hebites his nails down to the quick. He does it when he's particularly stressed about something. His therapist says it's a coping mechanism.

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The symptoms of a disorder are still part of the disorder. OCD, obsessive compulsive disorder, as the article has stated, is what nail biting is classified as, and that's in the most extreme cases which fit into the criteria of obsessive compulsive disorder.

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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 does 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.'

i wouldn't argue these points, but to say my basic issue with respect to it is the frequency with which these newfound disorders are popping up, and often - most often - being treated with hard core drugs. i have some experience both first hand as well as with people in my life,

in any case, i'm not opposed to viewing something like this as an issue that needs further evaluation or perhaps counselling, but grouping it with mental illness is a bridge i'm not willing to cross.

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I agree with JGirl, I think it's a symptom of the disorder rather than the disorder itself. My 7 year old son has Asperger's Syndrome, and hebites his nails down to the quick. He does it when he's particularly stressed about something. His therapist says it's a coping mechanism.

yes, and my original point was that if a person addressed the reason for nail biting they could control it - as in perhaps find a more efffective or healthier coping tool.

i don't see how the nail biting in itself could ever be thought of as a disorder.

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symptom

noun

1.any phenomenon or circumstance accompanying something and serving as evidence of it.

2.a sign or indication of something.

3.Pathology . a phenomenon that arises from and accompanies a particular disease or disorder and serves as an indication of it.

How do you know if you have the flu? Do you go to the doctor, get your blood drawn, have them do tests, then come back to you with a 'yup, there's flu viruses all up in you', or do you look at your symptoms (runny nose, sore throat, fatigue, etc and so forth), conclude you might, then go see the doctor? Symptoms are indicators of the problems, symptoms are caused by the disorder or disease or what have you, they are part of the disorder or disease. Like my analogy; all squares are rectangle but not all rectangles are squares. Sometimes a runny node is allergies, sometimes it's the flu, sometimes biting your nails is just you being nervous, other times it's because you have actually do have an underlying mental disorder like, such as the way they have classified it in this one instance, OCD.

Edited by Hasina
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