For those who can’t stop biting their nails, pulling their hair or picking their skin there might be a simple solution, a new study suggests.
Research recently published in the medical journal Jama Dermatology found an approach called habit replacement may help reduce repetitive behaviour.
A six-week study of 268 participants was aimed at easing body-focused repetitive behaviours such as nail biting, skin picking or hair pulling – conditions that are sometimes tied to stress. The participants were split into two random groups. One group was tasked with habit replacement, while participants in the other were told they were waitlisted for treatment. The latter group was trained on the method at the end of the study.
Those in the first group who learned about the technique were given a manual and video that showed them how to do it by gently rubbing their fingertips, palm or arm any time they felt the urge to bite their nails or engage in harmful behaviour. They were also instructed to practice the new habit when they weren’t feeling the urge to pull, pick or bite.
The strategy helped 53 per cent of the participants cut back on the unwanted habits. Around 80 per cent said they were satisfied with the training for the self-help intervention, while 86 per cent would recommend the treatment to others.
“The rule is just to touch your body lightly,” lead study author Steffen Moritz, of Germany's University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, told NBC News. “If you’re under stress, you might perform the movements faster, but not with more self-applied pressure.”
It was suggested that more research is needed but the hope is can join other tried-and-tested methods for body-focused repetitive behaviours, such as decoupling and habit reversal training.
Decoupling involves starting a habit but switching it at the last minute, such as those who feel the urge to bite their nails. For example, as nail biters bring their hands to their mouths, they're instead taught to touch their earlobe.
Habit reversal therapy, meanwhile, is a training that helps people reverse or unlearn a bad habit. For example, any time an urge comes to pick at their skin, they're taught to clench their fist or sit on their hands instead.
More information needed
The study concluded habit replacement "is a feasible and effective self-help strategy" against repetitive behaviours, especially for nail biting, but that it is missing follow-up data despite showing promise.
There are also some limitations on the study including the relatively short amount of time at only six weeks and its lack of diversity since most of the participants were white women in their 30s who did not have their diagnoses confirmed. It also isn't clear if the intervention was affected by other conditions such as anxiety or depression or helped reduce impairment.
However, John Piacentini, of TLC Foundation for Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors, told NBC News it was a step in the right direction. These conditions are believed to affect about 5 per cent of people globally.
"It is fantastic that this study will raise awareness of BFRBs because they’re really poorly understood, oftentimes misdiagnosed or missed completely," Piacentini said.
“There are reasonably good treatments out there that most clinicians aren’t aware of or don’t do."
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Norwich 0
Watford 2 (Deulofeu 2', Gray 52')
Red card: Christian Kabasele (WatforD)
It Was Just an Accident
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Ways to control drones
Countries have been coming up with ways to restrict and monitor the use of non-commercial drones to keep them from trespassing on controlled areas such as airports.
"Drones vary in size and some can be as big as a small city car - so imagine the impact of one hitting an airplane. It's a huge risk, especially when commercial airliners are not designed to make or take sudden evasive manoeuvres like drones can" says Saj Ahmed, chief analyst at London-based StrategicAero Research.
New measures have now been taken to monitor drone activity, Geo-fencing technology is one.
It's a method designed to prevent drones from drifting into banned areas. The technology uses GPS location signals to stop its machines flying close to airports and other restricted zones.
The European commission has recently announced a blueprint to make drone use in low-level airspace safe, secure and environmentally friendly. This process is called “U-Space” – it covers altitudes of up to 150 metres. It is also noteworthy that that UK Civil Aviation Authority recommends drones to be flown at no higher than 400ft. “U-Space” technology will be governed by a system similar to air traffic control management, which will be automated using tools like geo-fencing.
The UAE has drawn serious measures to ensure users register their devices under strict new laws. Authorities have urged that users must obtain approval in advance before flying the drones, non registered drone use in Dubai will result in a fine of up to twenty thousand dirhams under a new resolution approved by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai.
Mr Ahmad suggest that "Hefty fines running into hundreds of thousands of dollars need to compensate for the cost of airport disruption and flight diversions to lengthy jail spells, confiscation of travel rights and use of drones for a lengthy period" must be enforced in order to reduce airport intrusion.
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
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From: Ras Al Khaimah
Age: 50
Profession: Electronic engineer, worked with Etisalat for the past 20 years
Hobbies: 'Anything that involves exploration, hunting, fishing, mountaineering, the sea, hiking, scuba diving, and adventure sports'
Favourite quote: 'Life is so simple, enjoy it'
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Squad
Ali Kasheif, Salim Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdulrahman, Mohammed Al Attas, Abdullah Ramadan, Zayed Al Ameri (Al Jazira), Mohammed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammed Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Essa, Mohammed Shaker, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah) Walid Abbas, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli), Tariq Ahmed, Jasim Yaqoub (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Muharami (Baniyas)
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