Insights into recurrent body-focused repetitive behaviors: evidenced by New York Times commenters

Update on Diagnosis and Management of Onychophagia and Onychotillomania

Onychophagia (nail biting) and onychotillomania (nail picking) are chronic nail conditions categorized as body-focused repetitive behavior (BFRB) disorders. Due to a limited awareness of their clinical presentations, embarrassment on the part of patients, and/or comorbid psychiatric conditions, these conditions are frequently underrecognized and misdiagnosed. This article reviews the prevalence, etiology, diagnostic criteria, historical and physical exam findings, and treatment options for these conditions. The PubMed/MEDLINE database was searched for relevant articles. Onychophagia and onychotillomania are complex disorders necessitating a detailed patient history and physical examination and a multidisciplinary treatment approach for successful diagnosis and management. Due to the dearth of clinical trials for treatment of nail biting and nail picking, large clinical trials are necessary to establish standardized therapies.

Dermatillomania: Strategies for Developing Protective Biomaterials/Cloth

Dermatillomania or skin picking disorder (SPD) is a chronic, recurrent, and treatment resistant neuropsychiatric disorder with an underestimated prevalence that has a concerning negative impact on an individual’s health and quality of life. The current treatment strategies focus on behavioral and pharmacological therapies that are not very effective. Thus, the primary objective of this review is to provide an introduction to SPD and discuss its current treatment strategies as well as to propose biomaterial-based physical barrier strategies as a supporting or alternative treatment. To this end, searches were conducted within the PubMed database and Google Scholar, and the results obtained were organized and presented as per the following categories: prevalence, etiology, consequences, diagnostic criteria, and treatment strategies. Furthermore, special attention was provided to alternative treatment strategies and biomaterial-based physical treatment strategies. A total of six products with the potential to be applied as physical barrier strategies in supporting SPD treatment were shortlisted and discussed. The results indicated that SPD is a complex, underestimated, and underemphasized neuropsychiatric disorder that needs heightened attention, especially with regard to its treatment and care. Moreover, the high synergistic potential of biomaterials and nanosystems in this area remains to be explored. Certain strategies that are already being utilized for wound healing can also be further exploited, particularly as far as the prevention of infections is concerned.