User:Mr. Ibrahem/Body-focused repetitive behavior

Body-focused repetitive behavior (BFRB) is a group of psychiatric disorders were people repeatedly harm part of their body by either pulling or picking at it. Specific behaviors may include nail biting, lip biting, or cheek chewing. People are unable to stop these behaviors despite trying to do so. Complications may include nail damage.

It is within the category of obsessive-compulsive and related disorders. In the DSM-5, body-focused repetitive behavior disorder (BFRBD) is only diagnosed if the symptoms are not better explained by hair pulling disorder or skin picking disorder. Other sources; however, include those two disorders as types of BFRBD. Diagnosis requires the behavior to occur to such a degree that functioning is impaired or distress occurs. Additionally the behavior must be unrelated to efforts to change ones appearance.

Treatment may include counselling, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, and medications, such as SSRIs or N-acetylcysteine. Cognitive behavioral therapy may involve increasing awareness around when the behavior occurs, efforts to avoid triggers, and attempts to replace the specific behavior with something else like knitting. While these behaviors have been described throughout history, it was in the late 1800s that they were named as health problem. Hair pulling disorder was first included in the DSM in 1987 while skin picking disorder was officially included in 2013.