Monday, May 10, 2010

I have the WORST nail biting problem and I'm only 12! I need major help!!?

I'm 12 and I've been biting my nails since I was 4. I think I saw my dad and brother doing it so I tried it and it just stuck. I can't do the gum thing b/c I can't have gum in school. (Thats when I bite them most) And I've tried the nail polish thing, an the rubberband thing. I have had no success whatsoever and I need help!! I am so close to getting my first boyfriend and I don't want him to see how gross my nails are, or see me biting them. I need something really good that won't fail. PLEASE HELP ME!!!! I can't help it...I also bite my nails when 'i watch tv cuz I am occupied by that. I tell my mom I bite them when I'm bored and all she says is,';WELL DON'T BE BORED!!'; But thats rreally hard late at night when I just wanna chill and not do anything. I need something...ANYTHING that will help!! Thanks!! =]I have the WORST nail biting problem and I'm only 12! I need major help!!?
There is hope. Both my cousin and myself grew up biting our nails and we both quit. It just takes time. About 20 years ago during times of stress, like during a test at college, I wanted to revert back, so it is not an easy habit to shake even when you haven't done it in years.


Nail biting is just a habit and you need to learn to replace it with a more positive habit to fill you time of boredom. Try gardening and get your hands dirty or something. I hate dirty hands. Use your imagination. Each person has to come up with his own ideas and solutions.


Once you make progress, there will be slip-ups. Expect that every so often. Personally, I hate to see people who have bitten off nails. Just keep on trying. This habit did not develop overnight and it will take a very long time to control this bad habit and replace it with some better habits.I have the WORST nail biting problem and I'm only 12! I need major help!!?
Um.....if i knew of a dental appliance that would help....they do make anti-thumbsucking appliances!





Anyway, when you're home, in private, try wearing gloves....crazy, but effective. Secondly, substitute something else to bite in school...maybe a pencil? any biting could be bad for your teeth.... but sunflower seeds are better than cigarettes, soooooo. lesser of the evils.





You should also consider seeing a therapist or even a hypnotist.





good luck!
I think I might be able to help each other could you please drop me an email as im doing a project on stress and nail biting if you are interested to help.
I used to bite my nails too. My favorite aunt had pretty hands and nails,and that motivated me to stop.Go to a beauty school and get a manicure.Let them teach you how to take care of your nails.Once you see how pretty they look,you won't want to bite any more.Show them off by getting a pretty ring.
there is a nail polish out there called, no-bite, it tastes awful. Hopefully that will help!!!!!!!


Good Luck!!!!!!
Well .. Not to worry, you are not alone!





biting one's fingernails or toenails during periods of nervousness, stress, hunger, or boredom [1]. It can also be a sign of mental or emotional disorder. The clinical name for nail biting is chronic onychophagia.





It occurs in:





* 28% to 33% of children ages 7-10 years old,


* 44% of adolescents,


* 19% to 29% of young adults and


* 5% of older adults


* It is more common in young males





Contents





First:





One little-thought-of application for hypnosis is to help people stop their nail biting habit. While this may not be on par with splitting the atom, it is a serious problem for people who always seem to find themselves gnawing their nails.





The problem with nail biting, unlike some other compulsions solved by hypnosis, is that one needn't make any effort to have the tools at hand. Smokers need to pull out a cigarette. People who have trouble dieting need to actually go to the fridge to get food. If you will excuse the pun, fingernails are on hand all the time. One merely move their hand near their mouth and nail biting will almost instantly ensue.





People who bite their nails often try to quit. Unfortunately, it is not so much a question of will as it is a question of habit. The person bites their nails because they've always bitten their nails. So, when they are not thinking about the fact they are trying to quit their nail biting habit, they start right back into it. It becomes an unconscious activity. This is where hypnosis comes in. The purpose of hypnosis is to reprogram the unconscious -- or, more properly, subconscious -- mind.





Many hypnotists will provide help for your nail biting. Along with weight management and quitting smoking, nail biting is the most common reason for people to visit hypnotists. Ask at your local alternative health stores or book shops for their recommendations.





If you are nervous about seeing a hypnotist (I promise you they won't make you leave thinking you're a glass of orange juice), there are a few other options available. There are self-hypnosis books and subliminal tapes you can buy that will help you with your nail biting habit. These will probably not be quite as immediately effective as an actual, qualified hypnotist, but they will help nonetheless.





So for those of you out there who are tired of worn down nails and sore, bleeding fingertips, there is hope. Through hypnosis, you can finally quit that nail biting habit that you find so tiresome. No longer will you have to hear, ';Oh gross,'; from some aspiring med student who is ';only trying to help.'; No longer will you have to hear another speech about how much dirt and bacteria gets under your fingernails. No longer will you have to hear that speech from your mother, again, about how you should just quit doing that. Hypnosis can help you kick that nail biting habit that has plagued you for longer than you care to remember.





Also, Know your facts:





Negative side-effects





Biting the nails can result in the transportation of germs that are buried under the surface of the nail into the mouth. In fact, nail salons use tools that potentially affect a human in a similar way. ';If [nail tools, such as files] are used on different people, these tools may spread nail fungi, staph bacteria or viruses,'; warns Rick Lopes, a spokesperson for the California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology.[citation needed] Thus, one can see that many pathogens have the ability to ';live'; inside of a nail, and because of this biting the nails can potentially cause health issues.





A compulsive nail biter could also be tempted to bite not only the nail, but also the surrounding skin and cuticle, possibly breaking skin. Broken skin is susceptible to microbial and viral infections. These pathogens can be spread between the fingers and toes via the mouth. A normal, healthy (nail biting) person has a very low risk of suffering from infections.





Nail biting also has the negative side effect of restraining the use of the hands. A compulsive nailbiter can be restricted in their ability to work (i.e. writing, typing, drawing, playing stringed instruments, driving) because of the damage done to the nail or surrounding skin and/or anxiety in regards to the appearance of their nails.[citation needed] However, non nailbiters often find they must cut their nails to a very short length to play stringed instruments or the piano, as nails inhibit the playing of such instruments.





Extreme nailbiting is considered to be a form of self-mutilation. Chronic nailbiters will bite their nails so much so that it borderlines masochism. Fingertips will become overly sensitive to pain, usually at the place the skin meets the edge of the nail. If the nail has been bit short enough, salty foods (such as potato chips and pickles) can get between the skin and nail and cause pain and hypersensitivity.





A long-time habit of nailbiting may have detrimental effects on the substantia adamantinea of the front teeth, promoting caries in these areas.





Treatment





Medication





Nail biting has been shown to respond well to certain types of medication. The medications used to treat the problem include the newest, most potent anti-depressants. These medications are also used to treat Trichotillomania and OCD and include clomipramine, fluoxetine, sertraline, paroxetine, fluvoxamine, citalopram, escitalopram, nefazodone and venlafaxine. Also, small amounts of the anti-psychotics used to treat schizophrenia such as risperidone, olazapine, quetiapine, ziprasidone, and aripiprazole can be used to augment anti-depressants. It is important to note that the use of anti-psychotics to treat nail biting does not necessarily indicate that the patient is suffering from psychosis. [2]





Behavioural therapy





Some patients have found behavioral therapy to be beneficial on its own or as a complement to medication. The first part of nail biting therapy consists of Habit Reversal Training (HRT), a four part process that seeks to ';unlearn'; the habit of nail biting and possibly replace it with a more constructive habit. In addition to HRT, stimulus control therapy is used to both identify and then eliminate the stimulus that frequently triggers biting urges.[3]





The symptoms have been found to respond best to a combination of medication and therapy.





Other treatment





Various forms of aversion therapy exists to help people stop biting their nails. These include methods such as coating the nails with a bad-tasting substance (sometimes in the form of a special nail polish, tabasco sauce, or gel deodorant) or wearing a rubber band on their wrist and having friends and family members snap it (or tell the nailbiter to snap it) when they see nailbiting. Replacing the habit of biting nails by the habit of chewing gum works for some people. Some methods (including aforementioned aversion methods) can work by making the biter aware of their actions and finding other things to do. Keeping a record of when one bites may also be helpful in finding the root of the problem.





Some nail biters who undergo orthodontic treatment find that wearing a retainer or a bite plate makes it impossible for them to sever their nails with their teeth. This can have the unintentional side-effect of helping the individual to overcome their nail-biting habit.





Some nail-biters, however, find the effectiveness of all of these remedies to be poor. For them, it may take sheer determination to break the habit. Tactics they may find helpful include making a mental note to stop, promising oneself not to bite, and making it a New Year's resolution to stop.





Like other nervous habits, nail biting is sometimes a symptom of an emotional problem. In these cases, resolving the underlying problem can help to lessen or eliminate the nail-biting habit.





Some nailbiters find that hypnotherapy is a beneficial treatment.
well this won't help...but I'm 52...dated a LOT...engaged 3 times (to 3 different men...married one of'em) and I've bitten my nails since I was 7-8...and nothing works...


I was told hypnotism might....but as luck will have it, I'm one of those people who can't be hypnotized.





So if you find a cure...let ME know.... and good luck !!!
You need to see a competent psychiatrist. It sounds like you have an anxiety disorder. Tell your school counselor, who can get the whole thing started. By law, its all confidential, so no one will know unless you tell them.


The psychiatrist will want you to take some mild medications to relieve anxiety. He'll also want you to see a therapist, psychologist, or play therapist. You have the right to refuse anything that he orders.
ok i used to do that but i stop during school cuz i bite my pencil and we are not allowed to chew gum but everyone sneaks it but i wouldnt take that chance ok when u get home get a ice in a cup and eat that (it really helps)
It depends if you really want to stop......If you do it out of habit, dip your finger tips in jalepeno juice. The taste will remind you what you are doing.......or wear gloves!
Go and get acrylic tips done with a nice design. You would not want to ruin that.
How about wearing gloves? (at home at least)

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