Delusional parasitosis in dermatological practice

Szepietowski, Jacek C.; Salomon, Joanna; Hrehorów, Ewa; Pacan, Przemysław; Zalewska, Anna; Sysa-Jędrzejowska, Anna

doi:10.1111/j.1468-3083.2006.01900.x

Cited by 42 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 24 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Similarly, 134 French dermatologists reported 150 cases, and 13 had seen more than 1 case (47). In Poland, 85% of the dermatologists (n ϭ 118) had seen at least one case, 7% had seen even more than 10, and almost 20% were reported to currently treat one patient (312). Thus, patients with DI are not rare in dermatological practice.…”

Section: Epidemiologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The mean number of cases of DI per institution or hospital and year has been found to range from 0.6 (dermatology [Singapore] [19] (20). Certainly there are other psychiatric and dermatological disorders that occur less frequently than DI (20,312). Well over 1,400 definite cases have been published in the literature alone (Table 2) (there were already 1,223 cases in Trabert's case collection from 1995).…”

Section: Epidemiologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, most psychiatrists underestimate its frequency. Recently, dermatologists and microbiologists have questioned that it is infrequent (20,74,312). There is a large unknown figure, and Internet forums give a vague idea of the true frequency.…”

Section: Epidemiologymentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Delusional Infestation

Freudenmann

Lepping²

2009

Clin Microbiol Rev

230

367

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

SUMMARY This papers aims at familiarizing psychiatric and nonpsychiatric readers with delusional infestation (DI), also known as delusional parasitosis. It is characterized by the fixed belief of being infested with pathogens against all medical evidence. DI is no single disorder but can occur as a delusional disorder of the somatic type (primary DI) or secondary to numerous other conditions. A set of minimal diagnostic criteria and a classification are provided. Patients with DI pose a truly interdisciplinary problem to the medical system. They avoid psychiatrists and consult dermatologists, microbiologists, or general practitioners but often lose faith in professional medicine. Epidemiology and history suggest that the imaginary pathogens change constantly, while the delusional theme “infestation” is stable and ubiquitous. Patients with self-diagnosed “Morgellons disease” can be seen as a variation of this delusional theme. For clinicians, clinical pathways for efficient diagnostics and etiology-specific treatment are provided. Specialized outpatient clinics in dermatology with a liaison psychiatrist are theoretically best placed to provide care. The most intricate problem is to engage patients in psychiatric therapy. In primary DI, antipsychotics are the treatment of choice, according to limited but sufficient evidence. Pimozide is no longer the treatment of choice for reasons of drug safety. Future research should focus on pathophysiology and the neural basis of DI, as well as on conclusive clinical trials, which are widely lacking. Innovative approaches will be needed, since otherwise patients are unlikely to adhere to any study protocol.

show abstract

Section: Epidemiologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Epidemiologymentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Delusional Infestation

Freudenmann

Lepping²

2009

Clin Microbiol Rev

230

367

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…3 SP'nin toplumda yaygınlığının 1/25.000, psikiyatri kliniğine başvuranlarda %0.3'ten daha az olduğu tahmin edilmektedir. 3 Evlilerde, düşük eğitim ve düşük sosyoekonomik düzeyindekilerde daha sık görülür. 2 Sanrısal bozukluk tedavisinde klasik ve yeni kuşak antipsikotikler kullanılır.…”

Section: Introductionunclassified

Aripiprazole and fluoxetine in the treatment of delusional parasitosis: a case report

Yağcı¹,

Taşdelen²,

Kıvrak³

2017

Anadolu Psikiyatri Derg

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Thomas Browne first described it in the late 17th century, naming it "Morgellons disease", in which delusional skin infestation by inanimate objects is described (4,5). Somatic delusions are proven to be the most difficult to treat, while classical treatment of this condition should be a combination of both psychotropic medications and psychotherapy, atypical (2nd generation) antipsychotic represent the treatment of 1st choice (6,7).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Case Report of Morgellons Disease

Al-Imam

2018

Iran J Psychiatry Behav Sci

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Morgellons disease is a condition that falls within the same delusional complex of Ekbom Syndrome. Thomas Browne first described this psycho-cutaneous dermatosis in the 17th century, naming it "Morgellons disease". It is characterized by delusional skin infestation with inanimate objects. To date, very little is known about Morgellons disease, and even less is known about its correlation with recreational substance abuse. Case Presentation: This is a rare case presentation of Morgellons disease of a 52 years old female from Hertfordshire-United Kingdom. She is an academic and a professorial researcher. Initially, the patient was wrongly diagnosed as a case of a dyshidrotic eczema. Afterwards, her lesions worsened and resulted in an impairment of social life and academic performance. Consequently, the patient consulted a psychiatrist who implemented a multidisciplinary approach. Comprehensive laboratory and radiological investigations, including MRI, confirmed the absence of any organic pathology, and the final diagnosis was settled to be an idiopathic case of Morgellons disease. Conclusions: This case represents a cutaneous pathology in relation to the delusional spectrum of Ekbom's syndrome and Delusional Infestation. In this once in a life time encounter with a Morgellons disease patient, the classic "physician Odyssey" was prevented. The attentive multidisciplinary approach towards the patient was critical for the successful diagnosis and management. The patient was soon to be treated with Olanzapine, a 2nd generation antipsychotic. Within less than a month, the distressed patient showed a remarkable improvement.

show abstract

Delusional parasitosis in dermatological practice

Abstract: DP is a quite common disorder, however not all dermatologists are sufficiently prepared to treat it. There is an urgent need for training on the dermatological approach to psychodermatoses.

Cited by 42 publications

References 24 publications

Delusional Infestation

Delusional Infestation

Aripiprazole and fluoxetine in the treatment of delusional parasitosis: a case report

A Case Report of Morgellons Disease

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About