"Body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs), like hair pulling, skin picking, and nail biting, can take up a lot of space in a family's life. Not just in bathrooms and bedrooms, but in conversations, emotions, and worries about the future. Parents want to help, kids want relief, and everyone is exhausted by the cycle of noticing, reminding, trying harder, and feeling discouraged."
"For many families, the greatest struggle isn't just the behavior itself; it's the confusion, shame, and isolation that come with not having a clear framework for understanding what's happening or how to help. This month, as we release our new kids' workbook, Free to Be Me with a BFRB, I want to offer parents a grounded, compassionate guide to what actually helps kids with BFRBs, and what doesn't."
"BFRBs Are Not the Whole Story Children with BFRBs are not intentionally causing themselves harm, acting in defiance, or lacking motivation. BFRBs serve a function. These behaviors are part of how some brains and bodies learn to regulate internal experiences-sensations, emotions, and thoughts. For many kids, BFRBs serve a purpose, such as soothing, focusing, or helping them cope with boredom, stress, or discomfort."
Body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) such as hair pulling, skin picking, and nail biting function as attempts to regulate sensations, emotions, and thoughts. Families often experience confusion, shame, exhaustion, and social worry, and feel stuck in cycles of noticing and trying harder. Treatment that targets only behavioral stopping can create self-blame and convey that something is wrong. Effective approaches emphasize curiosity, skill-building, and compassion, teach alternative regulation strategies, and define progress as living according to values and engaging fully even when urges persist. Parental support focused on understanding and acceptance promotes healthier outcomes for children.
Read at Psychology Today
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