[MikeNessMonster]

Hi all,
I was curious about other's experiences with this and some possible ways to understand it and finally quit the habit once and for all.

I have been picking my fingernails since I was a young child. I began suffering from depression and anxiety at age ten, and have since passed through that phase in my life. I am a happy, well balanced twenty three year old. I still do get anxiety from time to time, but it isn't severe and usually just over the money issues of being twenty three.

I'm not sure why I started picking. I do remember when I was a small child I was into picking off "pills" from fabric, or anything that was sticking out of a hole or a bump I would want to pick off. I also remember loving the way smooth rubber felt (rubber balls, silicone kitchen gear etc)... and I still do. My fingernail picking used to (and still does on occasion) result in me pulling my fingernail off at the quick to where it was bleeding, and picking at the cuticle skin until it was red and inflamed and bleeding as well. My mother bribed with me $50 dollars I believe, and it worked for a while but as soon as I got the reward I went back to picking.

Still to this day I have the impulse to pick. This impulse is usually triggered when I am anxious or have nothing to do with my hands (but it needs to be something I can pick apart, simply twiddling my thumbs does nothing). I also pick when I feel my cuticles - if they are calloused or rough or have hanging edges from previous picking I will fixate on that piece of skin until I tear it off. I believe the picking is because I want to pick off all rough surfaces from my nails to make them smooth again, but of course that just damages the skin and creates more calluses for me to pick at!

I've been able to grow my nails out long and let my cuticles heal for certain periods. Acrylic manicures help until the nails are taken off and reveal thin, bumpy nails underneath, and then I get the urge to pick again!

I am working in health care (it is especially bad for me to have open cuts on my fingers!!!) and about to go into cosmetology school, where it probably would not look so great for me to be showing up with bloody finger nails.

What is the root cause of this urge to pick? What are some tools to stop? Have any of you experienced this?

Thanks!

I bit my nails all through my childhood. When I became a young adult & wanted to stop, I started carrying a nail clipper in my pants pocket. As soon as I felt anything like a ragged nail, etc., I trimmed & / or filed it down so as not to be constantly reminded it was there. Also, I kept my nails trimmed short to begin with. This, plus my desire not to bite my nails any longer, was sufficient to break me of the habit.

[txchic]

I'm guilty of it too. I was real bad as a child. I think it has ALOT to do with anxiety. I get fake ones now like clockwork I'm at the nail salon every 3 weeks to get a fill in if I didn't I would still be picking at them!

[Petra5ed]

I went through this. There's actually a condition called dermatophagia, it's related to OCD. It's really hard to stop! Not sure what caused me to eventually stop, I think lowered stress in my life in general. good luck!