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.