[Delusional parasitosis: case report]

Abstract

A case of a 75-year-old woman suffering from delusional parasitosis is described. The patient was referred to the consultant psychiatrist by a dermatologist with the diagnosis of psychosis. In course of the psychiatric treatment the patient revealed the delusional parasitosis and received antipsychotic treatment resulting in full remission. Delusional parasitosis (Ekbom syndrome) is a condition where a person has the unshakeable mistaken belief of being infested with parasites. Patients give detailed descriptions of the activity and offending parasites: crawling, biting, burrowing. According to the contemporary ICD-10 diagnostic criteria, the delusional parasitosis is a disorder which belongs to organic hallucinosis that are usually attached to lonely, old women. In such cases, a therapeutic process using antipsychotic treatment is necessary. A liaison between dermatologist and psychiatrist is advocated.