What is a BFRB?
Body-focused repetitive behaviour (BFRB) is a general term for a group of disorders that include skin picking, nail biting, hair pulling, and affected at least 5% of the population. These behaviours are not bad habits. They are complex disorders that cause people to touch their hair and body repeatedly and in ways that cause physical damage.
Common BFRBs
(Trichotillomania) causes people to pull out the hair from their scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows, and other parts of the body resulting in noticeable bald patches. 5-20% of people who have hair pulling disorder also swallow the hair.
(Onychophagia) causes people to bite their nails past the nail bed and chew on cuticles until they bleed, leading to soreness and infection.
(Excoriation) is the repetitive touching, picking at, or digging into the skin, resulting in skin scarring, and sometimes severe tissue damage, infection and disfigurement.
If you or someone you love is strugging with a BFRB, you may feel confused, and in need of help. You are not alone
Below is a full rundown of BFRB’s and their medical names:
Skin
Dermatillomania (excoriation disorder), skin picking
Dermatophagia, skin nibbling including scab eating
Hair
Trichophagia, hair nibbling
Trichotemnomania, hair cutting
Trichotillomania, hair pulling
Hands
Onychophagia, nail biting
Onychotillomania, nail picking
Nose
Rhinotillexomania, compulsive nose picking
Mouth
Morsicatio buccarum, cheek biting
Morsicatio labiorum, inner lip biting
Morsicatio linguarum, tongue biting
Eyes
Mucus fishing syndrome - compulsion to remove or "fish" strands of mucus from the eye
By even seeking this article and info, you are already heading in the direction of healing and understanding. There are lots of tools and therapies out there to help you recover from this. And you are not alone, 1 in 5 people have a BFRB!