“Usually [a BFRB] is a behavior, like fingernail biting, hair pulling, or pores and skin selecting, however for it to be meet the factors to be a dysfunction, it signifies that it has to trigger some impairment and normally an impairment in functioning,” says Barbara O. Rothbaum, PhD, ABPP, a professor of psychiatry at Emory College College of Drugs and a board member of The TLC Foundation for Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors. That signifies that the habits makes individuals self-conscious, injured, or anxious sufficient that it stops them from interacting with others, going to work, making social plans, or experiencing different necessary components of life.
You don’t have to succeed in this degree to note that you simply’re doing this behavior, and possibly wish to lower down. “In all probability everyone has bitten their lip out of a nervous behavior sooner or later,” Dr. Rothbaum says. However why did you begin lip biting within the first place?
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- Barbara O. Rothbaum, PhD, ABPP, professor in psychiatry at Emory College College of Drugs and board member of the TLC Basis for Physique Targeted Repetitive Behaviors
Typically, body-focused habits can begin as a solution to self-soothe or distract from nervousness. If it ultimately feels good, even subconsciously, an individual is extra prone to repeat the motion. That holds true for lip biting.
“If any individual’s biting their lip after they’re anxious and there’s a little little bit of ache, it’d really distract them from their nervousness and that is perhaps reinforcing,” Dr. Rothbaum says. “Anytime any individual is confused or anxious, you normally see any type of repetitive habits enhance, even when it isn’t a behavior, you see individuals getting extra fidgety and doing all types of issues.”
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Then, the extra typically you do an motion, you will have the potential to repeat that motion, “after which increase, you’ve got bought a habits,” says Dr. Rothbaum.
“If any individual’s biting their lip after they’re anxious and there’s a little little bit of ache, it’d really distract them from their nervousness and that is perhaps reinforcing.” —Barbara O. Rothbaum, PhD, ABPP
As for why you would possibly begin lip biting over another motion, specialists are nonetheless undecided, Dr. Rothbaum says. Some individuals is perhaps extra genetically predisposed to fidgeting, and/or to particular actions, however the science on that isn’t clear, but.
Find out how to cease lip biting
So, what are you able to do about it? Step one is noticing the habits when it occurs. That permits you to doc occurrences, study triggers, and put together for moments while you is perhaps prone to lip-bite. Dr. Rothbaum recommends really writing down occurrences, which can assist you to observe patterns and know when that you must be extra conscious or vigilant.
“A part of the character of a behavior is that a whole lot of it happens with out our consciousness after which hastily we understand, oops, I’ve simply been biting my lips,” Dr. Rothbaum says. “Search for patterns, search for any ideas related to it, emotions related to it.”
Additionally useful: Dr. Rothbaum suggests doing one thing that bodily prevents you from doing the motion, like chewing gum. You may pop a bit everytime you discover the biting begin, or begin chewing preemptively while you’re in a disturbing scenario.
The excellent news is you can most likely tame this behavior by yourself, Dr. Rothbaum says. Nevertheless, in the event you really feel your lip biting is crossing over from a behavior to a BFRB, you might wish to search assist from a psychological well being skilled, and take a look at the assets obtainable from locations like The TLC Foundation for BFRBs.
“A whole lot of occasions as soon as it begins, then it takes on a lifetime of its personal after which that is when it may possibly turn out to be arduous and other people want therapy or need assistance to attempt to flip that round,” Dr. Rothbaum says.
