Body-focused repetitive behavior

Body-focused repetitive behavior, often shortened to BFRB, is an umbrella name for impulse-control behaviors that involve compulsively damaging ones own appearance or causing physical injury. The group includes skin picking, cheek and lip biting, nail biting and picking, nose picking, and hair pulling or cutting, as in trichotillomania. These disorders are currently placed under the obsessive-compulsive spectrum and are also associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and anxiety. The cause is unknown, emotional states may affect how the behavior shows, and researchers are looking at a possible genetic component. Onset is most often in late childhood or the early teens. Treatment can include behavior modification, medication and family therapy, though no treatment is deemed well established for any form. BFRBs may affect at least one person in twenty and are often misdiagnosed and undertreated.