What are Other Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors?
Body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) are a group of self-grooming behaviors in which, despite attempts to decrease or stop the bbehaviors, individuals pull, pick, scrape, or bite their own hair, skin, or nails, resulting in damage to the body.
Among these behaviors, are trichotillomania and excoriation disorder, although many other behaviors hold this distinction as well.
Other BFRBs with which individuals may struggle include onychophagia (nail biting), onychotillomania (nail picking/manicuring), lip biting, cheek biting, and tongue chewing. These oft-overlooked behavioral difficulties can cause a great deal of distress, medical complication, and functional impairment in the lives of those who struggle with them.
Treatment for Other Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors
CEH provides evidence-based treatment for BFRBs including individually-tailored cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT), namely habit reversal training (HRT) and comprehensive behavioral model (ComB) intervention. Behavioral therapies, HRT and ComB both involve psychoeducation, awareness training, behavior analysis, and behavioral intervention strategies.
In HRT, interventions are primarily based upon modifying antecedents and consequences, including stimulus control (modifying the environment to decrease the likelihood of BFRBs) and competing response training (responding to picking urges with substitution behaviors that are incompatible with the BFRB). ComB interventions may include a wider range of cognitive, behavioral, and other evidence-based interventions aimed at the most relevant aspects (sensory, cognitive, affective, motoric, place/environmental) of the individual’s behavior analysis.
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) skills training may also be among these interventions, which have been demonstrated to be effective adjuncts to such behavioral interventions. Family involvement in treatment may also be included to assist loved ones in learning how to best support their family member.
In addition to treatment, CEH provides free, monthly community support groups for those whose lives are impacted by BFRBs.