More Than a Bad

Habit

Body-focused repetitive behavior (BFRB) is a general

term for a group of related disorders that includes
hair pulling, skin picking, and nail-biting.

As many as 1 in 20 people have a BFRB. While

BFRBs share some symptoms with obsessive-
compulsive disorder (OCD), they’re not the same.

These behaviors are not habits or tics; rather, they

are complex disorders that cause people to

BODY repeatedly touch their hair and body in ways that

result in physical damage. They’re also different
from self-harming rituals, like cutting yourself.

FOCUSED Who’s Likely to

REPETITIVE Have Them?

BEHAVIOR Experts are still trying to figure this out, but

they know your genes are involved. If someone
in your family has a BFRB, you’re more likely to
have one, too.

Other things that might play a role include

your personality, the amount of stress in your
life, your childhood, even the age you first
started showing signs of a BFRB.