Important! You can only become infected with lice from an infected person through close contact.

Under what circumstances can lice infestation occur:

Pediculosis due to nervousness - myth or reality?

Can lice appear on nervous soil? Myth or reality? The answer is clear – a myth!

If a person has not had contact with an infected person or his personal items, then he does not have lice.

Popular, absurd assumptions about why lice can appear after severe stress:

All these absurd assumptions have no scientific basis.

What ailments can an itchy scalp indicate?

If you place a person in an isolated, completely sterile room and subject him to extreme stress, then even in such circumstances he will not get lice. After all, the whole point is that these insects simply have nowhere to come from.

Most people assume that pediculosis affects disadvantaged citizens who lead an immoral lifestyle. But this is not always the case; there are several categories of people who are at risk of infection more often than the rest of the population. So, these categories include:

1. Children attending kindergarten, school and going to a sanatorium for the summer. Children are very active and inquisitive, they are often in close contact with peers, so outbreaks of head lice in children's groups are not uncommon.
2. Refugees, prisoners, soldiers. All people who are forced, due to life circumstances, to stay indoors simultaneously with a large number of other people.
3. Social workers. Due to their profession, social workers are forced to constantly be in contact with disadvantaged citizens, often suffering from head lice.

Perhaps precisely because pediculosis always appears unexpectedly, there are so many myths and assumptions associated with it. But you shouldn't believe everything. It has been scientifically proven that lice can only be transmitted from one person to another and nothing else. Even animals such as dogs, cats, rats, mice are not carriers of lice. Even as a result of severe nervous shock, neither lice nor nits can appear on the human body.

Nervous experiences and stress can cause certain diseases, but, fortunately, head lice is not one of them. Just from nerves, without really any real reasons, insects are unlikely to appear in your head. You don't have to worry about this. The idea of ​​some people that lice and nits can remain in the scalp for years, and manifest themselves completely unexpectedly, under some emergency circumstances resulting in stress, is absolutely groundless.

In the same way, there is no basis for the opinion that bloodsuckers grow in the hair of a person who is not very neat, and his head can often be dirty and unkempt. These judgments of the not very progressive part of the population cannot be called anything other than myth or fiction. Remember once and for all: lice are transmitted only from person to person. This means that you can become infected with them through personal contact with someone who already has them. Or if you used his hairbrush, put on his hat, slept on his pillow.

Can lice appear in an adult due to nervousness?

The child has

Now let's figure out whether lice can appear in a child due to nervousness? In principle, age is unlikely to matter much here. If a child, just like an adult, is very worried about something and sweats a lot, he is at risk. Of course, if there is a lice carrier next to him at that moment. Although it should be noted that children sweat much less often than adults, and the smell of their sweat is not so pronounced. However, the fact remains: if there is a lice carrier next to a child, and for some reason he sweats a lot, the blood-sucking lice can “follow” the smell.

There is a widespread belief that lice can appear in a person when he is under stress, nervous and worried a lot. If you ask this question on the Internet, you can find many stories about the appearance of lice on the head literally “out of nowhere”: without contact with other carriers of the disease. According to an old belief, lice eggs long time hide under the scalp without causing any concern in a person, and with excessive nervous excitement they begin to “break through” to the outside, resulting in a disease called pediculosis. So can lice appear due to nervousness?

We will try to understand this issue without using speculation and rumors. Let's take as a basis only scientific facts, features of the life cycle of lice.

How long do lice live?

Lice and nits cannot freeze in their development: either they will continue their life cycle or die due to unfavorable conditions. This means that an insect that gets into a person’s hair cannot hide under or on the skin for years, and at some point simply wake up from sleep.

And the theory itself that lice eggs can be found under the skin is incorrect. In fact, nits are deposited on the hair, approximately 2.5 cm from the scalp. This is where it is most convenient and reliable for them to attach to the hair.

How can you get lice?

The only possibility of infection with lice is direct contact with lice or their eggs on the head, in the hair. So, how can you become infected with lice:

• Close contact with a sick person: hugs, kisses, games, wrestling, etc.
• Through contaminated items: hair ties, towels, combs, hats.
• Swimming in the same body of water with a sick person (the likelihood of such infection is very low, since lice cannot swim).

The first option is the most common, since lice quickly die if they find themselves without food, which means they do not live long on towels and hairpins. But there have been cases of infection, for example, through bedding if it was used by two people with a short period of time.

According to statistics, long-haired girls of school age most often suffer from head lice.

Why are lice sometimes found during times of stress?

In this regard, there is an opinion that insects are attracted to the special smell of a person who is in a state of nervous excitement. In such situations, people's sweat glands are activated, and body odor becomes stronger.

Indeed, lice have practically no vision; they navigate this world by smell, which means this theory has a right to exist.

However, the likelihood of lice appearing due to stress is very low: these insects cannot fly or jump, and even crawl outside the hairline very slowly. This means that, in any case, you need close contact with their carrier to become infected with lice.

It has been noticed that a weakened body is more susceptible to head lice, like any other infectious disease.

Or maybe it's not lice?

When a person is nervous, his various diseases, which is why the saying: “all diseases come from nerves” has a basis. There are several diseases causing itching skin that intensifies or appears for the first time during stress. These include:

Signs of head lice

It is not always possible to determine the source of lice infection, because incubation period for lice (the time during which new insects appear from nits) is up to two weeks. And it takes about two more weeks for the female to develop reproductive function, and she began to lay eggs. If there is a nit in your hair, you may not feel the appearance of lice immediately, but after some time (sometimes even about a month).

Pediculosis is characterized by:

• The presence of nits in the hair; they are whitish “crumbs” with a diameter of about 1 mm, which are attached to the hair. They can be found especially easily around the neck and behind the ears.
• Bite marks and rash on the back of the neck.
• Itching. It is for this reason that many begin to suspect that they have pediculosis. Itching of human skin is caused by the secretion of the salivary glands of lice, which they secrete during a bite. The insect needs this so that the blood does not clot longer and can be sucked for a long time.

Contrary to popular belief that lice love dirt, these insects prefer clean hair.

Photo of lice in hair

Lice themselves are difficult to notice. Most simple ways lice definition

• presence of nits
• Presence of bite marks under the hair

Photo of nits in hair

Photos of lice bites

How to get rid of lice?

The fight against the disease must begin as soon as it is discovered. You should not hesitate, otherwise the effect will not be so fast. Basic principles of lice control:

This question worries many who are frightened by stories about the appearance of lice during severe nervous shocks and illnesses. In fact, there are no special ways to fight it: do not contact people who are sick, do not use other people’s things to care for your hair, and then you will not be afraid of lice. And if you do discover this disease in yourself (and it occurs quite often these days, especially in children’s groups), the main thing is to start treatment in a timely manner not only for yourself, but also to treat other family members with anti-lice products, because modern drugs cope with pediculosis quickly and effectively.

Anyone can encounter such a common phenomenon as lice in their life, regardless of age, gender, or social status. Lice occur under certain conditions (contact with an infected person), but there is an opinion that lice can also appear from nerves, which should be examined in detail.

There is an opinion that lice can appear from nerves

Is it possible for lice to occur on nerves?

These two beliefs actually have absolutely no explanation. People confuse lice with skin diseases, which also cause itching.

Reality or myth

If a person is sure that his lice came from his nerves, it is necessary to consider some quite logical facts.

Symptoms of psoriasis in the hair are similar to lice

Psychosomatics of pediculosis

When the question arises whether lice can arise from nerves in adults and children, we can say that a stressful situation alone is not enough for this. A person who is under severe stress may experience itching, especially in the scalp area. This is just the body's psychosomatic reaction to stress.

It’s not difficult to figure out whether lice come from nerves on your own if you familiarize yourself a little with the principle of insect life.

There are 3 main types of lice:

• pubic;
• head;
• linen.

Due to the fact that the insect feeds on human blood, its permanent habitat cannot be far from food, i.e. people. Pediculosis does not always occur due to contact with a mature individual on the human body. The eggs they lay also lead to the development of the disease.

The appearance of lice is often the result of poor personal hygiene. This is why pediculosis is diagnosed more often in young children.

Due to the fact that the method of transmission is contact, lice infection can occur under the following circumstances:

• using an infected person's comb;
• trying on someone else's headdress;
• purchasing clothes previously worn by an infected person;
• stale bed linen, for example, in a hotel;
• untreated hairdressing tools.

A louse can get on the body and continue its life cycle when visiting a public swimming pool or while traveling on public transport.

In other words, even if a person tries in every possible way to observe the rules of personal hygiene and monitor the cleanliness of the room, this does not guarantee that infection will not occur.

A characteristic feature of lice is that they are not able to survive for a long period of time without a source of food. The adult dies of starvation after approximately 48 hours. Insect eggs, called nits, are able to retain their vital functions longer. They can remain in a latent state for about 2 months.

Lice do not arise from stress, but their appearance may coincide with depressive state or other psychological disorder. In such a situation, you should carefully consider all previous events and try to find the source of the lice infection.

The symptoms of head lice may be similar to those manifestations of the body that occur under various psychological stress. The patient can feel itchy skin. Often there is a feeling as if something is crawling on the head. To rule out infection, you need to carefully examine your head for lice and nits. If pubic insects are suspected, the groin area is carefully examined. To detect bed lice, it is recommended to conduct a thorough inspection of the bed and all bedding.

There is no point in immediately trying to look for a method of combating head lice until the diagnosis is confirmed. Under some circumstances, incorrectly selected treatment can cause deterioration. general well-being. The following pathological processes have symptoms similar to lice:

You should not be embarrassed by the fact that there is a lice infestation and try to find a ridiculous explanation for this. The best solution in this situation will be treatment and determination of the circumstances that contributed to the appearance of lice. This knowledge can help prevent infection in the future.