
Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRB) include Trichotillomania (hair-pulling), nail-biting, lip or cheek biting, and skin picking disorders. They are similar to anxiety, impulse control, and obsessive-compulsive disorders but don’t completely fit into these categories. These behaviors are unwanted, repetitive, and challenging to control. They can lead to social isolation and other types of distress depending on their severity.
Available Treatment Options
Therapist interventions focus on decreasing unwanted behaviors and addressing the underlying conditions or situations that may lead to the behaviors (such as boredom or anxiety). Habit Reversal Training (HRT) is a form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) that focuses on awareness of the situations in which a person is more likely to engage in the BFRB, replacing the behavior with something else that prohibits the behavior, and fostering social support for the person.
Therapists Who Specialize in Helping Those Who Struggle With Body-focused Repetitive Behavior (BFRB)



