Nose picking
Under nose picking , nose picking , in-the-nose drilling , Popeln refers to the insertion of a finger in the nose, usually to be dried nasal secretions (fachsprachlich: bark, colloquially Popel or slugs) or (more rarely) foreign body to be removed.
Risk of injury
In rare cases, nose picking carries risks: Injuries ( excoriations ) can lead to nosebleeds , whereby the bleeding mostly originates from the Kiesselbachi locus , a network of blood vessels at the front end of the nasal septum . There are infections with a variety of pathogens that can be detected on the fingertip possible. This is why it is usually advisable to use a handkerchief . However, most people have significantly more pathogens on their nasal mucous membranes than on their fingers, and dried-on nasal secretions are often so tightly encrusted that simply blowing out the nose ("snorting") does not achieve the desired result. But you can also put the handkerchief over your finger and clean the inside of your nose. Cleansing the nose can also be improved with nasal rinses and inhalations .
Compulsive nose picking
| Classification according to ICD-10 | |
|---|---|
| F98.8 | Other specified behavioral and emotional disorders beginning in childhood and adolescence |
| ICD-10 online (WHO version 2019) | |
Drilling in the nose is very common, especially among young people, but also adults. In one study, 91% of adults surveyed said they were “picking their noses” and 75% said almost everyone did. In very few cases this behavior is pathological . However, it is compulsive nose picking ( Rhinotillexomania ) as a response with disease value after the ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems of the WHO ) to F98.8 under Other specified behavioral and emotional disorders with onset in childhood and adolescence classified .
Excessive compulsive nasal picking can lead to evacuation of the ethmoid bone ( ethmoidectomy ) and perforation of the nasal septum over a long period of time .
Social ostracism and taboos
Picking your nose in public is considered unsanitary in Western and much of Far Eastern culture. In contrast to nose picking, blowing your nose into a handkerchief is often seen in Western countries as not or significantly less unhygienic.
In mucophagy (from the Greek mukos “mucus”, phagein “to eat”) the removed secretion is consumed. This, although also common, is subject to an even stronger taboo . However, it should not be confused with moistening the finger in order to soften hardened secretions. It should also be mentioned that a large part of the nasal secretion and the dirt particles trapped in it get into the throat via the nasopharyngeal duct and are then involuntarily swallowed down.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ C. Andrade and BS Srihari: A preliminary survey of Rhinotillexomania in sample of adolescent. In: J Clin Psychiatry 62, 2001, pp. 426-431. PMID 11465519
- ^ JW Jefferson and TD Thompson: Rhinotillexomania: psychiatric disorder or habit? In: J Clin Psychiatry 56, 1995, pp. 56-59. PMID 7852253
- ^ RD Caruso et al.: Self-induced ethmoidectomy from rhinotillexomania. In: Am J Neuroradiol 18, 1997, pp. 1949-1950. PMID 9403460 .