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Nail Biting | Stop Nail Biting
NAIL BITING WHAT IS IT ALL ABOUT? Nail biting at a glance doesn't seem that much of a problem but careful examination of this behavior surely shows that it is problematic. The technical word for nail biting is Onychophagia and it starts generally between the age of 4 or 5 to ten. It is a very common problem and over 30% of the Americans show, nail biting behavior and it is the maximum at the time of puberty. This highly prevalent behavior much more in children results in short and ragged nails. It can also result in cuticle damage and damage to the edges of the nails resulting in bleeding. Infections are also a possibility. When Malon and Massmer researched children behavior in the Chicago school system, they found out that more than half of the children in the age group of 8 to 10 showed nail biting behavior. It is also an agreed fact that nail biting is a learnt habit from parents or from people around the child. Anyone who is habituated to nail biting would tell you how difficult it is to overcome this habit. One could try to identify the reasons behind nail biting and then try to solve it. Nail biting is seen to be a very private affair and some experts feel that it is some sort of self-indulgence. What ever might be the reasons behind nail biting, it is no doubt very prevalent and knows no boundary of class and gender.
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