This article probes nail-biting as a medical condition, seeks to understand who is most likely to be afflicted by the distressing condition, and looks at its association with mental health conditions.

Nail biting can also cause ingrown nails, ... For adults and some children, anxiety and stress may contribute more broadly and sometimes there's even a mental health condition at play.

Nail biting: Nail biting is a common nervous habit that can damage the nails and surrounding skin. Consider stress management techniques, applying a bitter-tasting nail deterrent, or keeping your ...

Treatment of Co-occurring Conditions: If nail biting is associated with underlying conditions such as anxiety, ADHD, or OCD, addressing those disorders can reduce symptom severity.

Nail biting, also known as onychophagia, ... Nail biting can be a sign of an underlying psychological condition such as anxiety, depression, or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

They can run vertically from the cuticle to the tip of the nail (known as longitudinal ridges) or horizontally across the nail (known as Beau lines). Most fingernail ridges are harmless, ...

Quitting nail biting can be as difficult as quitting smoking. According to the NIH, the habit (“onychophagia”) is a chronic condition that is repetitive and compulsive in nature. “Stress ...

Biting nails can be brought on by both boredom and anxiety, which is one of the reasons it’s so common. Federal cuts threaten independent journalism. Here's ...

By biting your nails, you damage the skin around the nail, which can increase the risk of contracting an infection. It can also spread germs from the fingers to the mouth, increasing the risk of ...

Some 268 people — who had trichotillomania, a condition where people react to stress by pulling out hair, or by chronic nail- or cheek-biting habits — participated in the study. 3 ...

Avoid biting, picking, or tearing your nails; ... Pitted fingernails look like small dents in the nails and can be a sign of an underlying health condition. For example, nail changes are a fairly ...

Nail biting, also known as onychophagia, ... Hypnotherapy is a type of therapy that uses hypnosis to help people overcome a variety of conditions, including nail biting.