Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Jan;58(1):49-52.
doi: 10.4103/0019-5154.105309.

Delusions of parasitosis

Jillian W Wong  1 , John Ym Koo
Affiliations

Delusions of parasitosis

Jillian W Wong et al. Indian J Dermatol. 2013 Jan.

Abstract

Patients with delusions of parasitosis (DOP) are more commonly recognized in dermatology practices today. However, dermatologists may feel uncomfortable treating these patients because of the psychiatric nature of their disorder. As a result of the fact that DOP patients strongly prefer to seek treatment from dermatologists rather than mental health professionals, it is important for dermatologists to be well equipped with a basic understanding of the disorder and with tools to assist this patient population. In this review, we discuss the epidemiology, presentation, differential diagnosis and treatment strategy for patients with DOP.

Keywords: Delusions of parasitosis; Morgellons; delusional infestation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: Nil.

References

    1. Munro A. Monosymptomatic hypochondriacal psychosis. Br J Psychiatry Suppl. 1988;153:37–40. - PubMed
    1. Munro A, Chmara J. Monosymptomatic hypochondriacal psychosis: A diagnostic checklist based on 50 cases of the disorder. Can J Psychiatry. 1982;27:374–6. - PubMed
    1. Bishop ER., Jr Monosymptomatichypochondriacal syndromes in dermatology. J Am Acad Dermatol. 1983;9:152–8. - PubMed
    1. Freudenmann RW, Lepping P. Delusional infestation. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2009;22:690–732. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Morgellons Research Foundation. [Last accessed 2011 Jul 25]. Available from: http://www.morgellons.org .