Does anyone else bite their nails badly? I do and wondered if it's linked to depression/anxiety?

[Trickymoments]

I have always been a seriously bad nail biter. In the last couple of years I've managed to stop it by having gels put on constantly so my real nails were able to grow. I thought I'd have a break from the gels as they're not good for your nails al the time apparently. I managed to keep my own looking lovely for a few weeks and thought I'd kicked the habit.
Then I tried reducing my ad's & my anxiety & low mood went through the roof! Off came the nails!! It's like I couldn't stop until I'd bitten them all off!
Now I feel so ashamed and self conscious which is making me even more anxious.

Has anyone else experienced this? Is it just a bad habit or could it be part of anxiety/depression symptoms? And how do I stop the overwhelming compulsion to do it!!

I get like this. Exam season at uni and my hands would be in a right old state.

I paint them with clear polish so they taste awful. Soon stops me!

I bite my nails but am not anxious or depressed! It's quite compulsive with me - a bit like some people scratch a particular spot.

I'd like to stop though (have wanted to for years) - maybe we could try to stop together? Someone once told me about a system where you protect one nail at a time. So you're allowed to bite any nail except one, then you gradually add in more nails that can't be bitten. I thought that might work.

Yes, it's a 'thing'. I don't bite my nails - not since I broke a tooth! But instead I bite and peel the skin from my fingers. My husband says he always knows when I'm ill because my hands are bleeding and swollen. :(

I stopped at the ripe old age of 32. I wore clear polish and would gnaw that off, if I needed to do something, then re-apply.

I think the Gels are OK and I had these for a while but cheaper (and much less obvious) is Opi Nail Envy which is clear and makes them long and strong. This seems to stop me biting. I don't want to nibble or gnaw something lovely but struggle if they fall off or tear.

Definitely stress / anxiety etc.