Lip biting and nail picking

[Guest Hockey30]

Hi guys,

I was just wondering if anyone has had any experience with problems with lip biting and nail picking? For as far back as I can remember I have always bitten my bottom lip and the inside of my cheek, to the point in which it sometimes bleeds. Ive also had problems with biting my nails and the skin down the side of my nails (sorry if that makes people a bit squeamish). I'm not sure if this is an OCD thing or just a bad habit. Sometimes when I feel little bumps in the skin on the inside of my bottom lip I feel like I have to bite it until it feels smooth again.

I've also had issues sometimes with blinking, where I will get really bothered by how much I blink and if I feel that my eyes have watered a little bit then I will blink a lot to try and get rid of the feeling. At the moment I am also getting pretty frustrated with salivating, as I feel that I sometimes salivate more than usual, especially when I have an intrusive thought... which then leads me to worry about why I salivate after an intrusive thought, which then causes some anxiety.

Any advice from previous experience would be really appreciated!

[Guest Hockey30]

I have also realized that I salivate more when I think about the fact I am salivating (confusing), which leads me to believe that it is another one of those OCD things where the more you think about it and the more consciously aware you are of it, the more it bothers you.

[Guest hope*]

Sorry hockey, I can't really help but I'd say they are all related to ocd. Maybe tics? Not sure. But if something doesn't feel right, its ocd! The blinking thing is common with ocd I'd say. I hope you are doing ok. Take care

[Guest sarah1984]

Hi Hockey,

I'd recommend taking a look at this page on compulsive skin picking from the main OCD UK site: http://www.ocduk.org/compulsive-skin-picking. I know you're not picking your face but it doesn mention that it can involve other parts of the body. I've been a compulsive spot squeezer in the past - I would carry on squeezing and even gouge at my spots with sharp objects despite the fact that I knew I was causing a scar and I was hurting myself. It could also be a nervous tic - people who bite their lips and fingernails often do so out of anxiety. The focus on blinking and salivating sounds like "sensorimotor OCD" to me which is where someone develops an obsessive preoccupation with a bodily function to the extent that they are constantly aware of it. Take a look at some of these articles from psychologist Steve Seay: http://www.steveseay.com/sensorimotor-body-focused-obsessions-ocd/, http://www.steveseay.com/ocd-core-fears-body-focused-obsessions-compulsions/ and http://www.steveseay.com/treatment-body-focused-obsessions-ocd/

Sarah