Onychotillomania
Medical condition
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Onychotillomania is a compulsive behavior in which a person picks constantly at the nails or tries to tear them off.[1] It is not the same as onychophagia, where the nails are bitten or chewed, or dermatillomania, where skin is bitten or scratched. Onychotillomania can be categorized as a body-focused repetitive behavior in the DSM-5 and is a form of skin picking, also known as excoriation disorder.
| Onychotillomania | |
|---|---|
| |
| The fingernail of a subject exhibiting the signs of the neurosis | |
| Specialty | Psychiatry, dermatology  |
| Frequency | 90% |
It can be associated with psychiatric disorders such as depressive neurosis, delusions of infestation[2] and hypochondriasis.[3]
It was named by Jan Alkiewicz, a Polish dermatologist.[4]
The constant destruction of the nail bed leads to onychodystrophy, paronychia[5] and darkening of the nail.[6]
Some cases have been treated successfully with antipsychotics.[7]
One cheap solution suggested by researchers is to cover the proximal nail fold with a Cyanoacrylate glue. "The mechanism of action for improvement is probably related to the presence of an obstacle to picking."[8]