[imagesource:pexels]

A new approach to address repetitive body-focused habits, such as nail-biting, has resulted in a surprising success rate for a number of these ‘afflictions’, including hair-pulling and skin-picking.

According to research published in JAMA Dermatology, the ‘habit replacement strategy’ involves touching skin gently, such as by lightly rubbing fingertips together or rubbing the palm or back of the arm, at least twice a day.

It has now proven to be effective for 53% of participants in a six-week study.

The TLC Foundation for Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors (No abbreviation available for that name) reports about 5% of the global population has these mannerisms, which can lead to scabs, scars and bald spots.

About 268 people who suffered from trichotillomania (a condition where people react to stress by pulling out hair, or by chronic nail- or cheek-biting) took part in the study. They were split into two random groups. One was tasked with habit replacement while the other was told they were waitlisted for treatment. This latter group was trained on habit replacement at the end of the study.

Of these participants, 80% believed the training helped their condition, with 86% saying they would recommend it to others.

Lead author of the study, Steffen Moritz, head of the clinical neuropsychology working group at University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf in Germany, said the rule is simply to just touch your body slightly. “If you’re under stress, you might perform the movements faster, but not with more self-applied pressure.”

Obviously, more study is needed, but the authors believe it could help a lot of people who suffer from these involuntary repetitive behaviours. The efficacy of these alternative ‘habits’ can even be increased by combining them with other ‘treatments’ such as decoupling — which involves starting to perform a habit, but changing it up at the last minute.

This works for nail-biters – as they raise their hands to their mouths, they divert at the last moment and rather grab their ears or nose.

“I would say one-third to half of the patients with BFRB benefit from decoupling, but the rest do not,” Moritz said. “And so the idea was to find another technique that is perhaps more suitable for these nonresponders.”

This research is a far cry from the aloe my mom used to smear all over my fingers to keep me from chomping the nails into my knuckles. She claimed it was a tried and tested boere raad, but apparently, the boere never thought of just washing their hands to get at that yummy nail.

We are repetitive creatures by nature, but hopefully, this would help out those who just can’t seem to stop picking, biting, and scratching.

[source:nypost]