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Just as children’s bodies can get sick, their minds are also vulnerable to external and internal factors. These factors may cause children to develop neurological diseases or behavioral problems such as nail-biting, thumb-sucking, stuttering, or bedwetting. Here, we will describe one of these disorders.
Nail Biting and Thumb Sucking:
This is a habitual disorder in children that is common until the age of seven and rarely seen thereafter. This disorder is more common in girls and its primary cause is anxiety. Usually, when a child is in insecure environments, they become anxious and resort to this habit to reduce their anxiety. This disorder is more common in families where there is conflict between parents or where parents use verbal or physical punishment in child-rearing.
Treatment:
Do not humiliate or punish the child for this habit and remain indifferent to it.
Correct the insecure family environment, have adults, especially parents, avoid family conflicts, and prevent the child from witnessing anxiety-inducing scenes and films.
Show more affection and kindness towards the child.
Keep the child’s hands occupied during leisure time with drawing, crafts, carpet weaving, other rural crafts, and entertaining games.
While doing schoolwork, it is advisable for the child to hold a pencil or write memorized lessons with a pencil.
Encourage and reward the child each time they cut their nails. Use rewards that the child likes (whether material or immaterial) and immediately give them a nail clipper after their nails grow out.
Apply bitter almond oil to the child’s fingers for a month. If the above measures do not work, this can be repeated several times.
Have the child wear thick cloth gloves all day. These gloves should be washed regularly and kept clean for at least one month.
Given the risk of the child contracting common infectious diseases such as diarrhea, parasites, or nail infections, it is necessary to keep the nails clean and regularly wash the fingers and hands with soap and water.
Nail biting, bedwetting, and stuttering are common nervous symptoms in children that require mental health recommendations before medication.
