Head Lice Infestation: The Emotional and Psychological Ramifications

It’s never easy going through a painful process alone. No matter how small your troubles, no matter how common your problem, the pain is amplified by the profound realization that you’re in this all by yourself.

Whether you’re a teenager in High School, or CEO of an established enterprise, no one is immune to the wrath of social embarrassment.

For many people, head lice infestation is something that only afflicts children in pre-school or individuals with poor hygiene. In reality, this is exactly the type of misinformation that instills shame and guilt among lice victims. At the end of the day, it’s not the itching and scratching that turns your life into a living nightmare; it’s the awareness of being treated like at outcast by those you love.

Here’s Why Reality Actually Bites

Head lice infestation isn’t just a physical affliction. Suffering from it means coping with the psychological impact of alienation, public humiliation, and stigma, in addition to the trauma of being an outsider—especially if you had a reputation for being the life of the party.

Let’s take a look at two major psychological aspects of infestation.

Deflated Self-Esteem

There’s nothing more embarrassing than a coworker, friend or stranger come up to you and tell you you’ve got a louse crawling in your hair. And if it happens in front of an audience, it’s even more humiliating. How do you defend yourself when you have no evidence to prove otherwise?

After living in denial for a few days, you are likely to make a choice:

• Accept that you’ve been plagued by an embarrassing condition.
• Dismiss it without pursuing treatment.

While accepting it may seem more painful than the latter, it is far better to face your reality instead of risking more embarrassment and exposing other people to the infestation.

Both cases are likely to affect your self-esteem as you witness firsthand the alienating effects of carrying head lice—which include being stared at, and being distanced by friends and colleagues.

Anxiety and Paranoia

When you realize you’ve got a family of parasites living in your hair, you’re likely to do everything in your power to regain your lice-free existence.

This means dousing your hair with all kinds of anti-lice shampoos and trying every OTC medication that money can buy.

Unfortunately, OTC medication is notorious for being ineffective, which means you will most likely lose a lot more than money in finding the perfect cure. With each treatment being more futile than the last, you may grow increasingly frustrated and lose sleep, peace of mind and ultimately, all hope.

Just when you think you’ve overcome your head lice problems, you might find a tiny nit peeking through your strands. This can add to your paranoia and anxiety as you struggle to cope with the mental anguish.

Do these symptoms sound familiar? Are you suffering in silence?

Lice Busters USA is a professional lice removal agency, specializing in pesticide free effective head lice removal Winter Park, Florida based clinic.

Don’t let a temporary condition be the source of permanent pain. Call us at 800-748-9451 to schedule an appointment!