What are Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviours (BFRBs)?
Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviours (BFRBs) are a group of complex mental health disorders that are characterised by the uncontrollable urge to pull, pick, scratch, cut, or bite one’s own hair, skin, or nails.
People with BFRBs often experience high levels of emotional distress as a result of these behaviours which can severely impact everyday life, causing avoidance and disruption at work, school and social situations. The behaviours can also lead to damage to the body, such as thinning hair or bald patches, skin lesions, scarring, and infection.
Despite affecting an estimated 4 million people in the UK and Ireland alone, these conditions are still incredibly stigmatised and misunderstood, resulting in many people with BFRBs living in secrecy and shame. In fact, only 50% of people with BFRBs seek help from a healthcare or therapeutic provider. Our main objective is to lessen the shame surrounding BFRBs, by providing providing a warm and welcoming community that thrives on acceptance.
Types of BFRBs
Skin
Excoriation Disorder / Dermatillomania / Skin Picking Disorder is the repetitive urge to pick or scratch at the skin. Common areas include the face, lips, arms, back, and legs. The behaviour can lead to cuts, lesions, scarring, and in severe cases, infection.
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Dermatophagia / Skin Eating Disorder is the repetitive biting or chewing of the skin, most commonly around the fingers. This can lead to bleeding, skin discolouration, scarring, and thickening of the skin that has been repeatedly bitten. It is common in people with Skin Picking Disorder.
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Mouth
Morsicatio Buccarum / Cheek Biting Disorder is characterised by irritation or injury to the the lining of the inside of the cheek, caused by repetitive chewing, biting or nibbling.
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Morsicatio Labiorum / Lip Biting Disorder is the chewing, biting, or nibbling of the lips, causing damage to the skin.
Morsicatio Linguarum / Tongue Biting Disorder is the chewing or biting of the tongue, leading to injury of the tongue.
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Nose
Rhinotillexomania / Nose Picking Disorder is the compulsive picking of the nose. The picking of nasal mucus is a common behaviour, however, it can become a BFRB when the person is unable to stop the behaviour despite it causing distress and damage to the lining of the nose.
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Hair
Trichotillomania / Hair Pulling Disorder is the repetitive urge to pull out hair from the body. Commonly, hair is pulled from the scalp, eyebrows, or eyelashes, but can also be pulled from elsewhere in the body such as the arms, legs, or pubic area.
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Trichophagia / Hair Eating Disorder is the chewing, sucking, or swallowing of hairs. It is often associated with trichotillomania. In some cases, the ingested hair can cause blockages in the intestines (Rapunzel Syndrome), which is a medical emergency.
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Trichotemnomania / Hair Cutting Disorder is the repetitive urge to cut or shave the hair using scissors or other tools. This hair cutting can lead to noticeably uneven hair, bald patches, and cuts or damage to the scalp.
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Nails
Onychophagia / Nail Biting Disorder is the biting of the nails leading to damage to the nail bed and cuticles. It is the most common BFRB, affecting approximately 20% of the population.
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Onychotillomania / Nail Picking Disorder is the repeated picking or tearing of the nails, damaging the nails, cuticles and nail bed. Many people with onychophagia also have onychotillomania.
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Eyes
Mucus Fishing Syndrome is the compulsive removing of eye mucus, leading to damage to the membrane of the eyes. It can cause excessive mucus production, which is worsened the more the person removes the mucus.