nail biting
May 12, 2011 | 10,00 EUR | answered by Dr. med. Ralf Berg
Hello,
I have been biting my nails for as long as I can remember. My fingers always hurt because I bite my nails down quite strongly... it was so extreme that there were hardly any nails left. I really want to break this habit but I struggle with it and can't seem to stop. Especially because I want to go into theater where it is important to have beautiful hands and nails... I used to get artificial nails done for a while but I can no longer tolerate the glue due to an allergy, so I can't do that anymore. I have tried all kinds of things from the pharmacy... I've tried everything. I heard that if it is so extreme, one should see a psychologist. What does such therapy look like? Is it just talking or do you also get medication? Because I'm not a fan of psycho medication as I have read about it and know that it's not good. I definitely don't want to take any! So, what does this therapy involve? Does the health insurance cover the costs? And how long does such therapy take?
Additionally, I almost have a bad dream every night, if not a nightmare, and I always wake up from it.
Thank you and best regards
Dear advice seeker,
Unfortunately, your nail-biting habit is very pronounced. Since you have already tried everything else, I would encourage you to actually see a psychologist. Your health insurance will cover the costs with a referral from your primary care physician. The duration of such therapy cannot be predicted on a case-by-case basis. Initially, your habit represents a behavioral disorder/deviation from the norm. People often take varying amounts of time to change ingrained behaviors, especially when they don't even know why they behave that way.
Finding out the underlying cause and having a starting point to change your behavior can be achieved with psychological talk therapy. Often, this can be done without "psycho-pills." However, I suggest that you be more open-minded about them and not demonize medication right from the start. Especially considering your recent information that you are haunted by nightmares almost every night, such pills can help. Keep in mind that no psychologist in the world can provide mental assistance to you while you sleep. Your "consciousness" is on standby, and what Freud called the "subconscious" emerges. "Psycho-pills" can achieve a lot here. Based on your description, it is already suspected that your nail-biting has a deeper psychological cause. Since your professional future is at stake, do not hesitate to seek psychological help (even if it's the first time).
I hope my advice has been helpful to you. I cannot exactly answer the question of what such therapy entails. It depends on the psychologist's intuition. Each person, and especially each "psyche," is unique and cannot be treated according to a standard procedure.
I hope you find a good therapist soon and wish you all the best.
Dr. R. C. Berg
