Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Nail biting
Nail biting is the habit of biting one's finger nails during periods of nervousness , stress, or boredom. It can also be a sign of mental or emotional disorder. The clinical name for nail biting is chronic onycophagia. 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 occurs more often in boys. Some ways to stop it are physical ways, such as coating the nails with a bad-tasting substance. Other ways include making the biter aware of what s/he is doing and finding other things to do instead of biting. One may keep a record of when one bites to get to the root of the problem.
Last updated: 05-18-2005 21:14:35
10-26-2009 08:16:03
The contents of this article is licensed from www.wikipedia.org under the GNU Free Documentation License. Click here to see the transparent copy and copyright details
The contents of this article is licensed from www.wikipedia.org under the GNU Free Documentation License. Click here to see the transparent copy and copyright details