In body-focused repetitive behaviour disorder, people repeatedly engage in activities that involve their body, such as nail biting, lip biting, or cheek chewing, and repeatedly try to stop the activities.
Individuals with body-focused repetitive behaviour disorder may feel tense or anxious just before they do it, and picking at or biting parts of their body may relieve that feeling.
Medical professionals diagnose the disorder when individuals pick at or bite parts of their body enough to damage it, try to stop their behaviour and cannot, and are significantly distressed by their behaviour or function less well because of it.
Cognitive-behavioural therapy that specifically focuses on body-focused repetitive behaviour disorder and certain antidepressants or N-acetylcysteine may help lessen symptoms.
Body-focused repetitive behaviour disorder is similar to obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Individuals with body-focused repetitive behaviour disorder compulsively pick, pull, or tug at one or more parts of their body.
They may bite their nails or lips, chew their cheeks, or pick at their nails.
Hair pulling and skin picking are also body-focused repetitive behaviours but are classified as separate disorders.
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