Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BRFB) include: Skin picking, hair pulling, nail biting, cheek and lip biting/chewing. These disorders can be triggered by stress, anxiety and other emotions, and tend to triggers significant amounts of shame and self critical thoughts.

 

Treating BRFBs, I utilize habit reversal therapy, and the ComB model by Charlie Mansueto et al. Treatment includes a comprehensive analysis into the behavior, keeping a log of the behavior during treatment, designing specific behavioral interventions, and working on both shame resilience and stress management. 

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In starting treatment for BRFBs, expect to work on monitoring frequency of the behavior, and committing to practicing different techniques to extinguish the habitual nature of the behavior.

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For more information on BRFBS, check out the TLC foundation.