Delusional parasitosis

The delusional parasitosis (literally " skin - animals - mania" ) is an organic psychosis, a cognitive disorder with haptic hallucinations, which are only sometimes recognized as such. Sufferers have the delusional idea that living organisms ( usually insects or worms ) are under the skin and move, which leads to anxiety and itching. They are convinced, their skin is infested with parasites, even if there is no clinical evidence of this. The term goes back to Karl -Axel Ekbom in 1938, therefore it is also referred to as Ekbom 's syndrome. Other names are insects delusion, delusional infestation, Epizoonose - delusion, delusional vermin infestation, chronic tactile hallucinosis, Acarophobie, Entomophobie or Parasitophobie. Special form of parasitosis.

Causes

The demonstrable etiologies include cocaine abuse, amphetamine abuse, an alcohol withdrawal with delirium, diseases of the central nervous system and brain injuries.

Diagnostics and Therapy

Other physical diseases must be excluded in the differential diagnosis. Treatment is difficult because patients often refuse a psychiatric cause and believe in somatic causes. The sessions are held with neuroleptics. There are only a few findings from controlled trials on the effectiveness of individual substances, are used pimozide, haloperidol or risperidone.

Reception in the media

In the films Hellbound - Hellraiser II (1988) and A Scanner Darkly (2006) one sees parasitosis from the perspective of a patient.

In the animated series The Simpsons there is an allusion to the parasitosis: The motto of Springfield Psychiatric Center is " Because There May Not Be Bugs On You" ( German: " For perhaps no bugs crawling around on you ").

The controversial concept Morgellons disease is associated with the majority of delusional parasitosis in scientific medicine. The distribution as a separate term is attributed to the discussion on the Internet and in other media.