A habit is a learned behaviour
that a person repeats so often that he or she begins to do it without even
thinking about it. Certain habits can be helpful, like the habit of brushing
teeth before going to bed or buckling seatbelt when get into a car. These are
habits that a person builds on purpose, to achieve a positive objective. Other
habits may seem to serve no particular purpose, like hair twirling. Parents
find many habits and behaviours of their children annoying. When we want to
change an unwanted behaviour, it helps to first understand why child is doing
it. Bad habits are often just a coping strategy. Child may fall back on these
behaviours when they are stressed, bored, frustrated, unhappy, insecure, or
tired. Many of these “bad” habits are calming and soothing to the child. These
habits often are built unknowingly. They can include behaviour like thumb
sucking, nail biting or chewing on the end of a pencil. Such habits may begin
as self-soothing forms of behaviour and may help relieve stress. But often,
long after the need for that type of soothing is outgrown, the learned habit continues.
Some habits are annoying, and some can cause distress or become the focus of
teasing. Still others may have harmful effects. For example, thumb sucking,
which can go on for years, can cause dental problems.
Aetiology
The causes of habits remain unknown.
Their repetitive nature suggests that they serve a soothing or calming process
for the brain. Interestingly, even in adulthood many people cling to some of
these self-comforting traits during times of stress: sucking on pencil tips or
their fingers, pulling their earlobes, fingering their hair.
Common Self-Comforting Habits
Here are some of the most common
self-comforting habits of middle childhood that concern parents:
·
Thumb-sucking
·
Body rocking
·
Head banging
·
Fingernail biting
·
Cuticle picking
·
Hair twirling
·
Masturbating
Nail Biting
The other name for nail biting is onychophagia.
Those who feel a compulsion to bite nails and fingertips can vary in severity
from mild and occasional to persistent nail biting. Severe nail biting is a long-term
problem which causes nail deformity and infections around the nailbed.
It is common in all ages, and the exact cause
is unknown. It may be due to a troubled relationship with mother during
childhood. Nail biting is a symptom of anxiety or a nervous habit. It is induced
by nervousness, stress, or boredom, and can be associated with an emotional and
psychological problem.
General
Management
·
Keep nails short
·
Rule out underlying
emotional disorder
·
Habit Reversal Therapy – for school aged children – consists of three
components: 1. Increase awareness of habit – e.g. have them look in
the mirror while biting their nails 2. Teach a competing response – e.g. chewing gum, blowing air through pursed lips, etc. 3.
Teach relaxation techniques – visualization, deep breathing, progressive
muscle relaxation
·
Coat the fingers with
neem oil or something that has a bad taste.
·
May refer children over
5 years to an orthodontist for a bite plate
Thumb Sucking
When children are tired, bored or feel
discomfort, they show the habit of thumb sucking. It makes the child feel
comforted, stimulated, or put to sleep. Naturally, babies have a sucking reflex
that makes them put the thumb into the mouth. Thumb sucking babies feel more
secure.
Ignore in children under 4 years –will usually remit by 6 years without intervention. Praise and
rewards for not sucking thumb Use a bandage on the thumb to remind them not to
suck May refer children over 5 years to an orthodontist for a thumb crib.
Nose Picking
Medically it is called as rhinotillexomania. The common cause for nose pricking is when a
person is lost in thoughts or out of sheer boredom. This
action is comparable to biting the nails or cuticles or picking at a scab
absentmindedly. A bored office worker is often caught picking his nose. People
who are caught picking their noses are usually embarrassed. So some pick their
noses privately. Curious or bored which relieves stress or
passes the time. It is not present in over anxious children. In children with
allergy, there is a flow of mucus and crusting. This gives them the feeling
that it is difficult for them to leave their noses alone. Most children give up
the habit on their own due to losing interest or because other kids tease them
enough to make them stop.
Hair Twirling and Pulling
Twirling and pulling hair is a nervous habit and self-soothing behaviour. In some cases,
hair pulling becomes so severe and can cause trichotillomania, which is the
urge to pull hair constantly until it breaks. Some children eat the hair, this behaviour
is called as trichophagia. This may appear in early
childhood as a precursor to hair pulling, with or without hair loss. This habit
will stop as they get older. For those who do not, behaviour modification helps
break the habit. Here, the treatment is usually a type of behaviour therapy
called habit reversal training. Relaxation of mind and medicines may be part of
the treatment. Complications - Infection, skin damage, and permanent hair loss, and sometimes due to loss of hair, there
can be a problem with self-esteem and body image.
Grinding the Teeth
Teeth grinding is
medically called as bruxism. Kids
with bruxism grind and clench their teeth from time to time, causing the teeth
the get damaged and other oral health complications. Grinding teeth is usually caused by stress and anxiety. This can lead to abnormal bite or
missing or crooked teeth. It can also be caused by a sleep disorder like sleep
apnea. Chronic teeth grinding causes fracturing, loosening, or loss of teeth.
Management -
If stress is causing it, he/she needs stress counselling program, and relaxation therapy is needed as well.
Mouth guards and mouth splints can be
custom-made to protect the teeth.
It is important to treat and prevent dental
problems.
Head banging, head rolling, and body
rocking
Head banging is when a child repeatedly hits
their head against a solid object such as a crib. Some children will bang their
head as many as 80 times a minute. This can be distressing to the parents or caregivers
for concern of injury. Often the child does not appear to be in pain, but
rather calm and content. The habit usually begins around the age of 9 months
and resolves around the age of 2. Head rolling is when an infant rolls their
head from side to side when lying on their back. They may even rub the hair
completely off the back of their head. Body rocking is when a child
rhythmically rocks while either sitting or resting on their knees or elbows.
This behaviour usually starts around the age of 6 months and disappears by the
age of 2. Most children rock for 15 minutes or less. Like head banging, it
often occurs while listening to music or falling asleep. Head banging, head
rolling and body rocking are common childhood self-comforting habits. These behaviours
are often harmless, but can be worrisome if your child also has developmental
delays
Masturbation
Most children—both boys and girls—play with their genitals (private parts) fairly regularly by the
age of 5-6 years. Most often, masturbation is a normal part of childhood
development. It is important to remember that at this age, masturbation is not
sexual to the child.
HOMOEOPATHIC MANAGEMENT
Homoeopathy is a safe and natural system of
medicine that can be incredibly helpful in treating all sorts of children’s health conditions. Homoeopathic remedies are highly dilute
medicines that work by stimulating the body’s own internal healing
mechanisms. Due to their high dilution factor, these remedies can be safely
used in children of all ages without risk of side effects. Homoeopathic
medicines together with counselling of the child to shape desired behaviour are
beneficial in treating most of the cases.
Talking about safe and side-effect free
treatment options. Homoeopathy scores highest among the various natural and
holistic treatment options available. Owing to the safety of Homoeopathy
medicines, Homoeopathy is considered to be the ideal treatment option for
infants, toddlers and older kids. Millions of people worldwide recognize the
effectiveness and safety of Homoeopathy treatment and are resorting to it for
their children's health needs. In some countries, it is seen that Homoeopathy
is no longer considered as an 'alternative medicine'. It is, in fact, fast
becoming the most preferred system of medicine. Homoeopathy is effective in
treating variety of troubles that a child faces.
|
Habit Behaviors
|
Remedies
|
|
Thumb Sucking
|
Tidy – Ars.Al
Artistic – Phosphorus
Gentle – Pulsatilla
Fidg – Sulphur
|
|
Nail biting
|
Fearful – Arg nit
Itching around nails – Amm brom
Bite & prick until bleed – Arum tri
|
|
Nose picking
|
Pricks until bleeds – Arum tri
Itching nose never satisfied – cina
Picking relives – Nat carb
Lazy & Fidgety – Sulphur
|
|
Bed – Wetting
|
Fearful About Events to Come – Arg Nit
During infections high temps – Belladona
Vivid dreams Nightmares – Equisetum
Gentle weepy - Pulsatilla
|
|
Desire to pull hair
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Ars al, Bell, Cina, Tarentula, Lil tig
|
|
Desire to pull some one’s hair
|
Ars. Al, Bart. Carb, Bell, Lach, Lil. Tig
|
|
Mastrubation
|
In Male child – Acon, bufo, Hyos,
Puls, Stram
In Female child – Hyos, Lach, Merc, Phos
|
|
Head banging
|
Striking his head against wall - Bell, Mill,
Tuber, Hyos, Rhustox
Strikes her Head with her hands, her body
and others - Tarentula
|
|
Desires to bites the body parts
|
Desire to bites the body parts – Acon, bell, Opium, Stram, Tarantula
Bites his own arm – Opium
Bites around him - Phos
|
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Breath Holding
|
Dros., Kali nit, Led, Merc, Spig
|
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Swallowing in air
|
Plat
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