Millions of people around the world suffer from a self-mutilating and often painful addiction to biting their nails, which can be harder to quit than smoking cigarettes, but is often overlooked as a relatively benign habit。

世界各地有數(shù)以百萬計的人群正在遭受自殘而痛苦的惡習(xí)困擾：咬指甲!這個習(xí)慣比煙癮還難戒掉，然而人們以為它是相對不那么有害的習(xí)慣因而常常忽略它。

Medical experts are now taking a closer look at the addiction and have decided to change its classification from a mere habit to a full-fledged obsessive-compulsive disorder。

醫(yī)學(xué)專家目前正在仔細(xì)研究這項嗜好，并認(rèn)為應(yīng)將其從單純習(xí)慣的分類中劃出，而完全作為一個強(qiáng)迫癥來看待。

The American Psychiatric Association is preparing to change the designation of nail biting from ‘not otherwise classified,’ to ‘obsessive compulsive disorder’ in its upcoming issue of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, NBC News reported。

據(jù)美國國家廣播公司新聞報道，美國精神病學(xué)協(xié)會正準(zhǔn)備修改咬指甲的界定，并在即將出版的《精神疾病診斷與統(tǒng)計手冊》中將其從“不分類”一欄移到“強(qiáng)迫癥”一欄。

Habits that are commonly associated with OCD include repetitive hand-washing and hair-pulling. The disease is characterized by unreasonable thoughts and fears that lead to such repetitive behaviors。

通常與強(qiáng)迫癥相聯(lián)系的習(xí)慣包括重復(fù)洗手和揪頭發(fā)。這種疾病的特點是由于不合理的想法和恐懼產(chǎn)生這樣的重復(fù)行為。

The occasional chewed nail isn’t an indication of the disorder, medical experts assure。

醫(yī)學(xué)專家也保證，如果只是偶爾咬指甲并不是表明患有強(qiáng)迫癥。

‘As with hair pulling and skin picking, nail biting isn't a disorder unless it is impairing, distressing, and meets a certain clinical level of severity,’ Carol Mathews, M.D., a psychiatrist at the University of California, San Francisco, told NBC News。

“揪頭發(fā)和抓皮膚、咬指甲并不是強(qiáng)迫癥，除非它對身體有害讓人煩惱，并要達(dá)到一定臨床要求的嚴(yán)重程度，”美國舊金山加州大學(xué)的醫(yī)學(xué)博士和精神病學(xué)家卡羅爾·馬修斯這樣告訴NBC的記者。

Nail chewing is considered severe when the habit becomes destructive – when it impairs use of the hands or leads to repeated infections。

當(dāng)咀嚼指甲的習(xí)慣具有破壞性，就會被認(rèn)為情況很嚴(yán)重：當(dāng)它影響手的使用或者導(dǎo)致反復(fù)感染的時候。

Sometimes a nail-biter’s hands and fingers can become infected, but more often, the habit leads to an increased risk of contracting colds and other illnesses because it encourages the spread of germs from the nails to the lips and mouth。

有時咬指甲的人手指和手會受到感染，但更多的時候，這個習(xí)慣會導(dǎo)致患感冒以及其他疾病的可能性增加，因為它幫助細(xì)菌由指甲轉(zhuǎn)移到嘴唇和口腔。

Nail biters looking to quit their addiction may find they are less inclined to stick their fingers in their mouths if they put lemon juice or hot sauce on their digits。

咬指甲的人若想要改變這個習(xí)慣，可以試試這個辦法：如果在指頭上涂一點檸檬汁或辣椒醬，他們將手指放到嘴里去的傾向就會減少。

Former nail biters who quit the habit said it also helps to wrap nails in tape or Band-Aids and to keep their hands well-manicured。

那些擺脫了咬指甲習(xí)慣的人說，將指頭用膠帶或創(chuàng)可貼包住同樣有用，把指甲修剪平整也會有幫助。