Nail Biting Basics


Nail biting in all its various forms is problematic behavior beset by peculiarity and contradiction. Technically speaking, the correct word for nail biting is ANONYCHOPHAGIA.

 

Nail biting typically begins between the ages of five and 10 and is common among children as well as adults. As many as one in three Americans bite their nails.

 

One of the more noteworthy and generally surprising things about nail biting is its high instance. It crosses every social and economic barrier. Prevalence figures for children are much higher than for adults.

 

Results of nail biting can result in short, ragged nails. It may also lead to damaged cuticles as well as bleeding around the edges of the nails. Infections can also develop if nails are not properly attended to.

 

Most relevant studies have found that nail biting tends to peak out around puberty.

 

A study by Malon and Massmer studied the behavior in the Chicago school systems and reported that nail biting is prevalent in about 60 percent of children age eight to eleven.

Most people agree it is a learned habit, perhaps picked up by watching a parent or someone else biting their nails.


Nail biting is an extremely tough habit to break and treatment for it varies.

One possible solution is identifying the reason for nail biting. Avoidance or modification of these situations can be beneficial to the eventual elimination of the habit.

 

Improving self-esteem is also helpful when attempting to break the habit.

Products such as CONTROL-IT are available on the market and are designed to aid nail biters in breaking their habit. According to www.stopbitingnails.com , CONTROL-IT is a gentle and natural alternative to help prevent biting. A mild unpleasant taste helps to remind users to stop biting their nails.

 

A host of research efforts both in America and Europe sought to ascertain if in fact nail biting was linked to mental illness in one form or another. Most people would have anticipated they found a high prevalence of nail biting among the mentally disordered; however, they found that nail biting, in and of itself, is not systematic of any form of mental disorder or maladjustment.

 

Nail biting crosses all national borders, genders, and both social and economic lines and may also originate from a primal need for self-grooming. It affects both the nails and the cuticles; with greater potential harm caused via infection to the cuticle and nail biting tends to be a private affair, and is a relatively isolated form of self-indulgence.

 

Nail biting may be treated addressing symptom rather than cause; it is a habit, not a disease.

Owner:  Christopher Joel Henry; born: December 18, 1958; birthplace: California

Married: Mrs. Trudy Henry

 

Mr. Henry has been an entrepreneur the majority of his adult life, generally in engineering pursuits.  Most recently he has been a business applications software consultant to Fortune 500 companies, in the greater Boston area.

He is an honored member of the International Who's Who of Science and Engineering, as well as a member of the New England Systems Group.







Related News



For mothers in prison, children can be key to rehabilitation, with ... - Boston Globe

Boston Globe

For mothers in prison, children can be key to rehabilitation, with ...
Boston Globe, United States -Aug 27, 2008
Although the report, "Parenting from Prison: Family Relationships of Incarcerated Women in Massachusetts," found that progress has been made in recent years ...

Denver rules: A guide to parenting, the Democratic Convention way - Globe and Mail

Denver rules: A guide to parenting, the Democratic Convention way
Globe and Mail, Canada -16 minutes ago
"Kids," I said, in the gentle, wise, mentoring way that a parent should speak to a child. "I've been listening to the Democrats give speeches. ...

The Observer - Sarnia Observer

The Observer
Sarnia Observer,  Canada -6 hours ago
As part of the Cross Canada Crusade to Support Equal Parenting after Divorce, F4J Ontario Director Denis Van Decker said the goal is to push for changes to ...
Posted By SHAWN GIILCK, ENTERPRISE-BULLETINCollingwood Enterprise Bulletin
all 2 news articles

What it takes to be a good parent in today’s culture - The Prairie Star

What it takes to be a good parent in today’s culture
The Prairie Star, MT -8 hours ago
Quality of parenting is declining. It is not just the environment but the quality of parenting that is causing the difficulty. The decline in society can be ...

Farah Hospital hosts Jordan’s Pioneering Parenting Program - Al-Bawaba

Farah Hospital hosts Jordan’s Pioneering Parenting Program
Al-Bawaba, Jordan -Aug 27, 2008
Farah Hospital, Jordan’s leading hospital specializing in fertility, recently hosted and for the second consecutive time Jordan’s leading parenting program ...


Parents need to grow up - NEWS.com.au

Parents need to grow up
NEWS.com.au, Australia -Aug 28, 2008
By Susie O'Brien PARENTS need to grow up if they want to raise their kids successfully, a new book says. Well-known Melbourne psychologist John Cheetham ...

Parish needs more foster parents - Natchez Democrat

Parish needs more foster parents
Natchez Democrat, MS -2 hours ago
In that same region, there are approximately 200 foster parents. In Concordia Parish, there are only 10 foster parents, but there are 30 foster children in ...

Struggles of single parenting - Waseca County News

Waseca County News

Struggles of single parenting
Waseca County News, MN -6 hours ago
Bjerklie’s parents, who live in Bjerklie’s hometown of Fergus Falls, Minn., have a tight-knit relationship with Hannah, and Bjerklie also has brothers who ...

Faith and Spiritual Life: Outreach - HeraldNet

Faith and Spiritual Life: Outreach
HeraldNet, WA -53 minutes ago
Seminars focus on parenting, marriage and life issues for new and longtime believers. Topics include "I Love You More: How Everyday Problems Can Strengthen ...
Faith and Spiritual Life: Programs and EventsHeraldNet
all 2 news articles

Successful co-parenting after a divorce - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Successful co-parenting after a divorce
St. Louis Post-Dispatch,  United States -Aug 28, 2008
They decided they wanted to share custody and parenting. "We didn't want him to feel abandoned by either parent, and we knew how hard it was going to be ...