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。

世界各地有数以百万计的人群正在遭受自残而痛苦的恶习困扰：咬指甲!这个习惯比烟瘾还难戒掉，然而人们以为它是相对不那么有害的习惯因而常常忽略它。

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。

医学专家目前正在仔细研究这项嗜好，并认为应将其从单纯习惯的分类中划出，而完全作为一个强迫症来看待。

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。

据美国国家广播公司新闻报道，美国精神病学协会正准备修改咬指甲的界定，并在即将出版的《精神疾病诊断与统计手册》中将其从“不分类”一栏移到“强迫症”一栏。

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。

通常与强迫症相联系的习惯包括重复洗手和揪头发。这种疾病的特点是由于不合理的想法和恐惧产生这样的重复行为。

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

医学专家也保证，如果只是偶尔咬指甲并不是表明患有强迫症。

‘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。

“揪头发和抓皮肤、咬指甲并不是强迫症，除非它对身体有害让人烦恼，并要达到一定临床要求的严重程度，”美国旧金山加州大学的医学博士和精神病学家卡罗尔·马修斯这样告诉NBC的记者。

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

当咀嚼指甲的习惯具有破坏性，就会被认为情况很严重：当它影响手的使用或者导致反复感染的时候。

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。

有时咬指甲的人手指和手会受到感染，但更多的时候，这个习惯会导致患感冒以及其他疾病的可能性增加，因为它帮助细菌由指甲转移到嘴唇和口腔。

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变这个习惯，可以试试这个办法：如果在指头上涂一点柠檬汁或辣椒酱，他们将手指放到嘴里去的倾向就会减少。

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。

那些摆脱了咬指甲习惯的人说，将指头用胶带或创可贴包住同样有用，把指甲修剪平整也会有帮助。