Lice-infestation causes depression in school kids

LOSS of sleep, poor concentration, social awkwardness and peer ostracisation.

Lice-infestation causes depression in school kids

LOSS of sleep, poor concentration, social awkwardness and peer ostracisation. No, these aren't symptoms of a dreaded disease. Lice and nits are enough to send parents and kids alike to despair. And if this seems like a bit of an exaggeration, recent research shows that nits could even cause depression and low self-esteem.

The study that was conducted among 805 mothers with children between the ages of 5-15 across the country in May, revealed that nearly 47 per cent children had problems with concentration in the classroom or during study time if they had lice. A quarter of the mothers also felt their kids should not befriend children with lice.

"It seems trivial but it's a serious issue. Children don't associate social ostracisation with nits. They think it's because they're not good enough or that there's something wrong with their personality that's keeping other children away," said psychologist Tushar Guha. He has counseled children whose self esteem had dropped due to lice infestation.

"It also takes a significant time for other children to realise that the child is lice free and to include him in the group again. Such children can experience bouts of depression. I've had a girl who was six asking me why no one played with her and whether she was a bad person," he said.

The study conducted by Mediker also revealed that 68 per cent of mums interviewed said that their children could not sleep well. "It's important to address the issue right away before the implications increase," said Dr Sudhakar Mhaskar, head, technology, Marico Limited. "Lice can live for six hours or more even on items like combs, caps and towels, so sharing of these personal items can also lead to an infestation. Apart from the social embarrassment, some of the remedies like kerosene or powdered naphthalene balls can also lead to bodily infection. Lice combs can injure the scalp and ruin the hair. Moreover, it leads to the assumption that the child is dirty. This is untrue because the infestation can spread in a matter of minutes from one person to another, irrespective of hygiene levels."