Experts Are Now Classifying Nail-Biting as a Psychological Disorder

by Sarah Jio, Glamour

Do you bite your nails? What you may consider just a bad habit, is soon to be labeled as a full-fledged psychological disorder. OK, nail-biters, let's discuss.

According to new reports, the American Psychiatric Association--which publishes the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)--is about to label nail-biting as an obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

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But, occasional nail-biters shouldn't worry. The APA seems to be only talking about extreme biters: "As with hair pulling and skin picking, nail biting isn't a disorder unless it is impairing, distressing, and meets a certain clinical level of severity," says Carol Mathews, M.D., a psychiatrist at the University of California, San Francisco. "That is not the vast majority of nail bitters," she says. "It is a very small minority of people. They have bitten so much that they are getting infections. There is physical damage that is impairing their ability to use their hands."

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Still, even if your nail-biting isn't extreme, it's still gross, say other experts who remind us that the bad habit can increase your risk of skin infections, colds and flu viruses and other infections. (Obviously.)

Now, who bites their nails? Would you classify your bad habit as serious or not?

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