PPC114 | Health and safety

Paul Westgate is the Managing Director of BPCA Consultant member, Veritas Pest Consultancy.

Here he tackles the mental health impacts of pest infestations and what pest controllers can do to help manage them.

The ability to manage pests relies on a wide range of tools and techniques. When most people consider the pest controllers toolbox, they will think of the traps and baits we use. Some may even think of proofing, housekeeping and education. 

Few would think about how the modern pest controller needs to manage the many mental health challenges that can be experienced by those with pest infestations. 

Our failure to identify, consider and develop strategies to manage mental health challenges can have a significant impact on our ability to manage pests for the protection of public health.

In some cases, it is the client’s mental health which can be a barrier to our work.

The frequency that pest controllers interact with clients exhibiting mental health conditions has increased, and perhaps this reflects society’s increased ability to understand and discuss mental health conditions.

The ‘increased’ prevalence of such conditions is something that many industries, including our own, need to become better educated about.

The challenges posed by mental health issues are not going away, as a WHO report confirms 15% of working age adults have mental disorders in 2019.

The future perhaps looks even more challenging, since a recent NHS report stated that one in five children had a probable mental health disorder in 2023.

Our ability to support mental health has never been more important.

The challenges posed by mental health issues are not going away, as a WHO report confirms 15% of working age adults have mental disorders in 2019.

Identifying the challenges

So, what are some of the main challenges pest controllers face and how do we begin to approach these?

It’s not easy. We should remember that we, as pest managers, are not qualified to diagnose or provide medical advice.

However, what we can do is to help make a difference to people’s lives. A positive action, even a small one, may have a significant impact on someone’s mental health.

Throughout more than 20 years in the pest control industry, I’ve been very lucky to have experienced almost (not quite!) the full spectrum of pests, people and places.

I have drawn on these experiences to offer some personal advice on some of the most commonly encountered mental health issues, which can form barriers to control.

Phobias

Defined by the NHS as “An overwhelming and debilitating fear of an object, place, situation, feeling or animal”. These are often seen by medical experts as one of the easier mental health challenges to manage, through specialist work with behavioural therapists.

As a pest professional we should understand that not everyone wants to talk or think about pests, and by carefully assessing conversational situations this is often not a significant barrier to conducting our work.

However, it is something to be aware of, particularly when removing any dispatched pests – it sounds obvious and most of you are already pretty mindful of this, but try not to remove them in view of a client suffering from a phobia.

Hoarding disorder

The acquisition of an excessive number of items, which hold little or no value or use and which are stored in a chaotic manner, can have a significant impact on the ability to manage pests.

In addition to keeping large amounts of items, people who have a hoarding disorder often find it hard to:

• Organise items and themselves
• Make decisions
• Do everyday tasks such as cooking, cleaning, and paying bills.

Their inability to ‘let go’ of any of their belongings becomes difficult to manage, and this can lead to poor relationships with family, friends and neighbours.

Estimates vary on the prevalence of hoarding disorders, but a general estimate is that around 2.5% of people suffer with this within the developed world.

Despite this relatively low prevalence, those involved in the management of pests are likely to become involved with those that exhibit hoarding behaviours. This is due to the increased risk of pest populations developing, not only for the hoarder but for those living nearby.

Attempting to conduct treatments within hoarders’ properties is difficult, almost unachievable using a conventional approach. 

A different approach is needed: simply suggesting the usual housekeeping, laying baits, traps or applying sprays will be unsuccessful in the short and long term.

Successful resolution is challenging and hoarding disorders are very difficult for medical practitioners to treat.

In many cases those with the disorder do not see it as something which needs to be resolved and have difficulties understanding how their behaviours are impacting on others.

Delusional parasitosis (DP)

Perhaps the most well-known mental health condition which pest controllers encounter. 

People with DP have a strong misbelief that they, or their surrounding environment, is infested with lice, mites, bed bugs or ‘other’ small creatures.

DP can be difficult to diagnose and is a very difficult condition to treat, and like many disorders is often not present in isolation.

The cases highlighted in this feature reveal signs that led me to believe that DP may have been present. I encouraged the client (usually via a family member or care provider) to investigate this further with a medical practitioner.

There are many other signs of DP including physical itching, scratching and gouging of the skin to remove insects.

It is worth remembering that pest control professionals should not be examining client’s bodies and should at this point refer the client to their doctor or pharmacist.

DP CASE STUDIES

This is one I think many other pest controllers will have come across. A large number of samples (35 images) were provided for identification by email. These images were of ‘bugs’ that were found around the house. Upon examination of the photos there were no bugs; the photos simply contained pictures of fluff, Sellotape, and even some rocks.

During one survey I noted many hundreds of pieces of Sellotape stuck to shelves, cupboards and many other surfaces which contained ‘samples’. Upon inspection of the samples using a microscope no invertebrates were present. The sheer volume of these ‘samples’ were enough to convince me that the client may need some medical help.

I was in the process of booking a survey with a client to investigate some carpet beetles. We had agreed on a time and at the point of ending the phone call, the client stated: “You will not find any, as they only flew in through the window at 5.15pm”. On attendance to the survey the warden of the sheltered accommodation confirmed that the client had DP.

During a survey at a client’s house I entered the front door and was immediately met with an overpowering smell of insecticide. Fly ribbon screens and mosquito coils were present in each room. The client showed me the insecticide cans that he had used; all were perfectly lined up and numbered (1-20). The survey revealed no pest activity.

Precautionary insecticide treatments – a big no!

People with DP often have a strong desire for a spray treatment to be conducted, and they can be quite forceful with this.

But remember, it is important to ensure that professionalism is followed at all times and treatments with insecticides can only be undertaken once (if) the presence of target pests has been confirmed.

Spraying a placebo (water only) is not recommended as this enforces the view that insects are present, when in fact they are not. 

There are a wide range of other conditions which may impact upon treatment success.

Clients with depression, anxiety, or autism sometimes struggle to deal with challenges within their lives and the presence of pests may be something that additional support is needed for them to understand and act upon.

What to do?

Put simply, it’s difficult. Many people involved in the mental health industry find this tough and there are no silver bullets, no easy fixes.

We as pest controllers are certainly not going to solve a person’s mental health, however our actions can help our customers’ wellbeing and increase the likelihood of a successful pest management outcome.

Helping the client to understand there may be a problem is a difficult first step. Involving family and friends is often, in my experience, the best and most successful starting point. 

Having a trusted person present during surveys can help reassure the client and reduce the risk of overwhelming them.

Signposting the client to services from local authorities, medical practitioners or registered charities can be of great help, assuming that the person is willing to engage. 

Hoarding disorder has many links to OCD, and the charity OCD-UK may be able to assist ocduk.org

Carefully consider your recommendations 

Where significant mental health barriers are present, simply telling a person with a phobia to get over it, someone with DP that there’s nothing there, a hoarder to do some cleaning or an autistic or depressed person that they should stop feeding the birds is not going to have the desired impact and, in some situations, make the problem worse.

Developing a considered approach with the support of professional mental health support workers, or more likely friends and family, can be a beneficial strategy.

The legal system has many instruments to help ensure that public health and safety is maintained. With disorders such as hoarding it may be possible to enforce on those (after a period of supported encouragement) to rectify issues.

The Prevention of Damage by Pests Act (1949) and Public Health Act (1961) could be used, with care and compassion, to help ensure wider public health is not compromised.

Engage with your team. Colleagues are often a great source of support, sharing successes and failures is a great way to learn and pass on strategies. 

It is important to remember that without customer engagement successful resolution of the issue you have been tasked with looking into is unlikely to be achieved.

It’s difficult however to know how far to go. How much time and effort is to be dedicated to these complex situations? 

This for many pest controllers is a moral dilemma. From personal experience it’s important to remember the positive impact you can have on someone’s life, but also that these situations can prohibit the function of the pest controller and the organisation in dealing with other tasks. 

Knowing what to do is tough and in the past I have struggled to know what to say, which led in some situations to inaction on my behalf. 

But I have a different outlook these days – I simply aim to be a good human being and to do something positive. And by treating people fairly and with respect, this has so far worked well for me.

And if in doubt – ask. There are many pest controllers with experience in these situations who would be more than willing to lend their knowledge to help you.

FURTHER READING

COBP - Precautionary Treatment of Invertebrates

PESTWATCH: Delusional parasitosis and cable bugs

VIDEO: Identify and understand delusional parasitosis