With this month of May being the month that we bring awareness to mental illnesses, how about we close out the month by sharing common bad habits that are connected to mental disorders? Did you know that excessive showering could be linked to a disorder? How about extreme plastic surgery? Let’s examine these habits and two other habits that are linked to a few mental conditions.
The first bad habit is skin picking. Yes, if you have a habit of picking at your skin, that could be linked to a mental disorder. This is called excoriation disorder. A person with this condition picks at their healthy skin for hours. It is related to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and can be treated with antidepressants.
The second habit connected to a mental disorder is excessive plastic surgery. I had no idea that there was a mental disorder connected to overindulging in the nip and tuck world. But there is! It is called body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). It is a disorder characterized by an overwhelming obsession with one’s appearance, to the point that it consumes them. A person may become consumed with dissatisfaction with their nose, cheeks and other areas of their body. Some of the signs include excessive grooming and avoidance of mirrors, but antidepressants or cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) could help in treating it.
The third habit to analyze is the need to excessively cut your hair. The disorder connected to this habit is trichotemnomania. It is a rare disorder where the patient has an overwhelming compulsion to cut or shave their hair. Sufferers of this disorder typically have high anxiety levels and turn to shaving their head or cutting off hair as a response to stress. You could also treat this condition with antidepressants or behavioral therapy.
The fourth and last habit that is connected to a disorder is excessive nail biting. Onychophagia is a body-focused repetitive behavior (BFRD) involving chronic, unmanageable biting of nails. People with this condition may find themselves embarrassed with the appearance of their nails, but unable to stop the biting. Painting the nails with a bitter substance or wearing gloves may help stave off the nail biting. However, if you find your condition is severe, cognitive behavioral therapy may be beneficial.
If you’re personally dealing with any of these excessive habits, you may want to consider seeing a therapist. But if you do one or some of these things in moderation, they may just be bad habits that are a little hard to break. For more information on other habits that are connected to mental disorders, check out the article, “8 Habits Connected to Mental Disorders” on www.healthiguide.com.
