Body-Focused Repetitive Disorders (BFRD)
Sometimes anxiety or stress (or the stress of boredom) takes the form of a person doing some repetitive action to their body, a behavior they find very difficult to stop doing, even though it causes them distress. Some of the more common examples:
Hair-pulling or plucking, in a way that leaves bald spots or other unwanted results
Nail-biting, in a way that leaves unwanted results
Skin-picking...to the point of leaving unsightly marks or scars
Biting the inside of the lips or cheeks, to the degree it causes problems
Sometimes the results of these behaviors can cause a person to feel embarrassed of their appearance, and therefore feel uncomfortable in social situations, or even to avoid them. Or a person engaged in such behaviors may go a long way toward compensating for them or concealing them, such as wearing a wig or hair weave, or putting on false nails, etc. But often along with such strategies comes the fear of discovery.
Such body-focused repetitive behaviors can sometimes also lead to stress in a family or relationship, when a loved one tries to get someone to stop these behaviors. Sometimes the person doing the behavior—whether they are an adult or a child—doesn't want to deal with it. They may be in denial, or just too ashamed to address it.
Should I get help?
If the behavior is mild, and is not creating problems for you—no physical problems, no social problems, no relationship problems, no painful emotions—then you may not need any help. But if the behavior is causing you distress, either physically, socially, emotionally, or in any other arena, it might be time to more directly deal with it.
If you would like to begin working on this type of issue, please call Michael Posner, MSW, LCSW at (918) 809-4777.