Treating head lice can be very difficult for many people. Products that don’t quite work and others that are ineffective contribute to creating dire situations for many people. And this is not just for the parents, but for many children too. When off-the-shelf products don’t deliver and people keep on using them, the nit and head lice infestation will keep growing. This is how infestations get out of control. And when this happens, clearing them becomes a difficult job for the parent and upsetting for the child.
When infestations become persistent over a long period of time and often severe in the volume of eggs or nits, it becomes an impossible task for a parent to clear out. We understand how daunted people feel by this as we clear these cases and hear about what families have been through. Your child will more than likely resist when you attempt to clear out of irritation about having to sit yet again for hours, as well as out of loathing for the situation. Also, some children just don’t understand why it has happened to them and they feel different or marginalised by it.
This can have a negative impact not only on your child’s physical health but their mental health too. At The Hairforce we like to get the infestation out as quickly as possible and we shut it all down so the child can get on with the important things in life. If your child is suffering from anxiety about head lice, we want to solve that now.
Mental health and head lice
Can lice cause anxiety for your child?
Research from the USA has identified that 7-11 year old’s having head lice saw the lice as a ‘symbolic failure’. This is often associated with (real and imagined) ridicule and blame from peers. There was a strong association of head lice with embarrassment, sadness and anger, as well as peer rejection and negative labelling:
- 60% of children interviewed had experienced public humiliation as a result of having head lice
- 90% reported being teased by schoolmates, parents, and relatives when they had head lice
- Rejection by friends was the number one concern of the participating children
- Peer acceptance was greatly diminished for a child who had head lice; and negative labelling often followed the child throughout his or her school life
- Most children in the study showed signs of diminished self-perception because of this issue. Furthermore, most of the children felt a sense of personal responsibility for having lice, and expressed feelings of being ‘bad’ or ‘dirty’.
These are all good reasons to clear your child of a head lice infestation and not let it go on and on. There is clearly a very real price that the child has to pay if it is not effectively dealt with.
Post Traumatic Lice Disorder
The research findings illustrate the negative impact that head lice infestations, and the perceptions surrounding infestations could have on a child’s mental health. These effects can have long term implications into adulthood.
PSLD (or post traumatic lice disorder) is a very real condition that both you and your child can suffer from if head lice aren’t treated promptly. The long-term effects of PSLT can shape a child’s self-esteem for years. PSLT can affect children well after they are finally free of head lice. That is why it is important to get rid of hair lice quickly and effectively.
The Hairforce, the UK’s unique nit and head lice clearing service, back up these findings.
“We see both the physical effects of an infestation on a child and also the emotional price some children pay.”
The Hairforce
When clients come to us with a child that has anxiety about head lice, we shut this issue down immediately so they can get on with their lives.
Sometimes you can see the immediate benefits that getting rid of head lice can have. Your child becomes less withdrawn and brighter in their mood and temperament almost straight away. You cannot underestimate the negative effect head lice can have on your child and their everyday lives.
Head lice removal with the Hairforce
At The Hairforce we understand that a heavy infestation is overwhelming for you as a parent. Nits (the eggs) build up and so there is a lot of backlogs that we need to clear out, including old and healthy nits.
Tough head lice infestations are incredibly rewarding to work on for us. Our head lice experts relish this kind of clear because they know how positively it will affect the person being cleared.
If you come to us your child will leave after the first visit with everything cleared out. This is an instant end to the anguish you have all learnt to live with.
Call us today if your child is suffering from anxiety about head lice. We will clear head lice infestations quickly.