Study finds solution for nail biting and skin picking.
Study finds solution for nail biting and skin picking.
Touching Your Skin: A Surprising Approach to Break Bad Habits
If you find yourself constantly biting your nails, picking at your skin, or pulling out strands of hair when you’re stressed, there’s a surprisingly simple technique that might just work. Instead of giving in to these unwanted behaviors, try touching your skin gently. This strategy, known as “habit replacement,” has shown promising results in helping individuals curb their harmful habits. In fact, a recent study found that 53% of participants were able to cut back on their behaviors using this approach.
Leading the study was Steffen Moritz, head of the clinical neuropsychology working group at University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf in Germany. According to Moritz, the key is to touch your body lightly without applying excessive pressure, especially when under stress. This finding is significant considering that body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRB) impact about 5% of the global population.
The study involved 268 individuals who either had trichotillomania, a condition characterized by the urge to pull out hair in response to stress or as a self-soothing mechanism, or engaged in other repetitive behaviors like nail biting or cheek biting. Participants were divided into two groups: one group received treatment, while the other was placed on a waitlist and received treatment after the study concluded. The treatment group learned habit replacement techniques through a manual and video.
Of those in the treatment group, individuals who engaged in nail biting seemed to have the most positive outcomes. Approximately 80% of participants expressed satisfaction with the training they received, with 86% stating they would recommend it.
While further research is needed, this habit replacement strategy has the potential to become a valuable addition to existing behavioral techniques such as decoupling and habit reversal training. Decoupling involves substituting a harmful behavior with a similar one that ends differently. For example, instead of biting nails, a person might raise their hand to their face but touch an earlobe instead. Similarly, habit reversal training encourages individuals to engage in alternative, non-harmful behaviors in response to their urges.
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Natasha Bailen, a clinical psychologist at the Center for OCD and Related Disorders at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, explained that habit reversal techniques could involve clenching one’s fists tightly when feeling the urge to pull hair or pick at the skin. In some cases, sitting on one’s hands may also be effective.
Usually, individuals with these behaviors may be prescribed medications like antidepressants or undergo cognitive behavioral therapy. Moritz estimated that decoupling is effective for about one-third to one-half of patients, leaving a significant portion of non-responders who require alternative methods.
John Piacentini, board president of the TLC Foundation for Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors, believes this study helps raise awareness about these conditions. Piacentini stated that despite the availability of effective treatments, many clinicians remain unaware or fail to implement them. He emphasized the importance of finding treatments that can significantly reduce the severity of symptoms in affected individuals.
Although this research is considered “proof-of-concept” and warrants further validation, experts are encouraged by the findings. Bailen expressed her excitement about the growing focus on self-help approaches, particularly given the challenges individuals face in accessing mental health services and the lengthy waitlists they often encounter.
The study’s findings were published online on July 19, 2023, in the journal JAMA Dermatology. It serves as a reminder that innovative strategies can help narrow the treatment gap for individuals struggling with BFRB.
For more information on trichotillomania and related conditions, visit Mental Health America.
