nailbiting, onychophagia

nailbiting, onychophagia - biting nails, onychophagia
@maiax2k6 (535)
Philippines
June 5, 2007 8:10pm CST
Do you nailbite and how bad is it for you? I'm older now and I still bite my nails when i'm bored mostly or anxious or excited, or concentrating doing something. Mostly it starts with picking my nails and then i finish by biting it off. i like the feel of the sharp edges. It's has become an unconscious act although i do stop when i get aware of what i was doing. it doesn't bother me, though it does bother some of my friends and i get conscious whenever there's an occasion that i have to dress up my nails and i can't because they're just too short. maybe i'm in denial that there's a psychological root cause for this but i can't see it no matter how deep i go back into the self. and i find it funny to go to a psychiatrist for such a trivial habit that clearly for me is not a hindrance to my psycho-social functioning. i've read that there is a clinical term for this which is chronic psychophagia. they say that it is a sign of a mental or emotional disorder and the freudians say that 'we're' stucked up somewhere in the oral stage of development. others say that nailbiting is a form of masochistic self-mutilation - that is just too harsh to admit since in my conscious mind i never have had the wish to harm myself, other than the fact that i enjoy biting my nails.:)
2 people like this
2 responses
@habichuelo (3100)
• United States
6 Jun 07
i bite my nails too,,,,i guess to much stress and anxiety,,,,i have high blood preassure and its been so long i dont take my medicine,,,,,i think i will run out nails
@maiax2k6 (535)
• Philippines
6 Jun 07
lol, you're so funny. if you can only replace nails for the meds then that is just the best thing. i don't take my habit seriously too, and much as the book 'scares' you sometimes to drive you more into it, i still enjoy my nails. :)
2 people like this
• Philippines
6 Jun 07
in order to spare the nails of getting mutilated, find a substitute for them to bite on. pity those nails, they are suffering so much from the anxiety that you feel. it is just a matter of having something to bite. improvise then. you can alwways find something else to deal with the calmed anger called insecurity and anxiety.
1 person likes this
• Philippines
6 Jun 07
it is relatively easy to get rid of hte habit if you really want to. it takes self discipline and consciousness of what we are doing at all times. what i did in order to get rid of mine was, i always keep a ballpen which has already run out of ink. whenever if feel fidgety, i take hold of this ballpen and bite on it. there are times when i find myself biting on it too hard, it breaks. i always get a replacement for it. time came when i just stopped. i believe that there is a certain degree of anger inside us plus the insecurity, that is causing us to do this.
@maiax2k6 (535)
• Philippines
6 Jun 07
oh easy is only for the books, i've tried will and well maybe it's been going on so long that it's just automatic with me. anyway, i really have tried and i even think that i have become better as i don't anymore pick my toenails as much as before. it's now the fingernails only, and it's not worse that anything i see in the pictures. maybe my case is only milder. i keep my nails clean and short and it's not too bad to look at. i can't imagine having a replacement to bite as i don't enjoy the biting part. i just enjoy the nails. and enough of the defenses - everyone of us without exemption has insecurities of different levels and i'm learning to live with mine. :) thanks though.