At 06:54 AM 8/9/01 -0700, you wrote:
>Nose Picking--The Shameful Truth
>
>NOSE PICKING is a form of human behaviour that has received far too
>little scientific attention, but at last that neglect is being
>redressed. In the June issue of The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry,
(snip)
Some of you might recall an early post of mine where I had indicated that my
students had noticed a substantial amount of nose-picking behavior in drivers
of vehicles while the students were investigating various driving practices
(e.g., stop sign compliance, seat-belt wearing behavior) as part of their class
projects. At the time (Dec., '97), I had asked TIPS for their input regarding
the idea of assigning students the task of determining some parameters of this
behavior in drivers of automobiles. Perhaps understandably so, the responses
were not very encouraging and thus based on TIPS' advice I did not pursue this
type of project with my undergraduates.
At any rate, a post by David Epstein (are you still around David?) indicates
that some work has apparently been done in the recent past.
_Compulsive_ nose-picking is rhinotillexomania.
>From my files on OCD-spectrum disorders: Jefferson JW and Thompson TD.
Rhinotillexomania: psychiatric disorder or habit? Journal of Clinical
Psychiatry 56(2): 56-59, 1995.
David's summary: A survey about nose-picking was mailed to 1000 randomly
selected adults in Wisconsin. 254 responded. 91% were current nose pickers,
even though only 75% felt that "almost everyone does it." 1.2% picked at least
every hour. Two subjects spent between 15 and 30 minutes a day at it; one spent
over two hours a day. For two others, overenthusiastic picking had led to
perforation of the nasal septum. The survey also asked about reasons for
picking. 5 people (2%) said "enjoyment"; one (0.4%) said "sexual stimulation."
8% ate it (but didn't go so far as to call this their reason for picking). I
think two conclusions can be drawn from this study: 1) rhinotillexomania may be
an underdiagnosed OCD-spectrum disorder, and/or 2) people may have decided to
have a little fun when they filled out the questionnaires--a possibility that
the authors didn't acknowledge when reporting their results.
Miguel
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Miguel Roig, Ph.D. Voice: (718) 390-4513
Assoc. Prof. of Psychology Fax: (718) 442-3612
Dept. of Psychology [EMAIL PROTECTED]
St. John's University [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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