Published on 12, July, 2020
i have been biting my nails since i was a child (i’m now 20) and am fairly sure i do it as a form of stimming/self soothing, it’s bad to the point that if i go to bite my nails and there isn’t anything to get a hold of i get frustrated, upset, and distressed.
i’ve found that using a tangle to keep my hands busy works most of the time as i don’t really like to have stubby bitten down nails but recently even redirecting myself doesn’t stop me … i’m very aware that it’s gross and not exactly pleasant but i’m not sure what else i can do to try and stop myself.
wondering whether it’s less of a hands thing and more of a chewing/biting stim? not sure if that makes any sense.
is anyone else a chronic nail biter due to autism … is this a common thing?
I'm a nail biter. I think mine is caused by chronic anxiety. Biting my nails is my reaction to stress. I bite my lips, as well.
Barrack said:Is this what you have as well?
Well, until I read this, I hadn't heard of it.
I've discovered over the last few years that a lot of the things I do have names, and I reckon this is one of them!
Thanks.
I bit my finger nails all the time when I was a child, they would get very sore. My mother would threaten to put my fingers in mustard. When I started work as a trainee mechanic I stopped. There was always grease or oil under them which a found distasteful. I do bite the skin off my lips often until they bleed.
I do this as well Debbie. I've got Dermatophagia. My fingers and hands are sore most of the time and unsightly now. Is this what you have as well?
I bit my nails for years, right up until I was about 25. I still pick at (and occasionally bite) the skin around them.
Ultimately I found that painting them helped because if I did give in and bite them I just got a mouthful of nail polish chips and so the satisfaction of nail-biting was gone. Perhaps not a solution for everyone but it did work for me! It was definitely a sensation/stim thing for me, looking back, so perhaps it is an autistic thing (for some of us, at least).
Yes, I've bitten my nails and skin around my nails (until it bleeds) all my life, from a very young age.
I do this as well and I'm sure it's definitely an autism thing. I started of biting my fingers and hands as a young child which I'm pretty sure was an unhealthy stim. I still do this now except I also bite my nails which I'm pretty sure is caused by anxiety now as it started when I was at school and stressed because of the work. I still bite my fingers and hands as well which has caused a lot of skin issues for me. I'm sure it is all autism related though.
Hi Elliot
I'm 62 and I've been a nail biter all my life. I was having a good chew just before I saw your post. If my nails get too bitten down to chew on then I pick at the skin. I'm very newly diagnosed with autism and hadn't even realised it was a form of stimming until just recently. Even using those nasty tasting liquids that you paint onto your nails haven't deterred me. It's an interesting question you pose. A hands thing or a chewing biting thing? I don't know the answer. Nail biting is quite a common stim on my family group though.