Delusions of Parasitiosis: a Case With a Review of its Course and Treatment

Scheinfeld, JD Noah

doi:10.1111/j.1540-9740.2003.03113.x

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…To our knowledge, this is the first complete collection of patients with primary delusional parasitosis treated with atypical antipsychotics, whereas many patients with secondary forms of delusional parasitosis have been reported in recent years (e.g. De Leon et al , 1997; Safer et al , 1997; Kumbier & Kornhuber, 2002; Freudenmann, 2003; Le & Gonski, 2003; Scheinfeld, 2003; Wenning et al , 2003). Thus the evidence for the use of atypical antipsychotics in delusional parasitosis is even weaker than for typical antipsychotics.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antipsychotic treatment of primary delusional parasitosis

2007

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antipsychotic treatment of primary delusional parasitosis

2007

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“…In a 72-year-old male with a 5-year history of primary DI which failed to respond to haloperidol decanoate, symptoms started to abate after only 1 week of oral risperidone therapy. Meanwhile, there are well over 30 published cases with risperidone for all forms of DI (3,53,57,68,102,103,141,155,168,172,197,212,213,225,243,244,249,254,258,278,282,341). Since the mid-1990s, further atypical antipsychotics have been licensed for the treatment of schizophrenia, and all of these substances have since been used, with various effects, in cases of primary or secondary DI, including olanzapine (41,89,96,101,141,167,172,199,211,212,249,280), sertindole (348), quetiapine (19,37,76,155,218,249,341), amisulpride (99, 175-177, 212, 253), ziprasidone (99), aripiprazole (141,…”

Section: Atypical Antipsychoticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Delusional Infestation

Freudenmann

Lepping²

2009

Clin Microbiol Rev

235

367

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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.

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“…Also, DP (Freudenreich et al, 2010;Scheinfeld, 2003) and other forms of somatic delusions (Sewell et al, 1994;Torruella et al, 1999) have been noted in individuals with HIV. However, DP has not been documented as a presenting feature in subcortical dementias such as HAD.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…In fact, DP (Freudenreich, Kontos, Tranulis, & Cather, 2010;Scheinfeld, 2003) has been documented in HIV-seropositive patients. However, no reports to date have documented DP as a presenting feature of HIV dementia.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Delusional Parasitosis as a Presenting Feature of HIV Dementia: A Case Study

Musso

Jones

Heck

et al. 2012

Applied Neuropsychology: Adult

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Delusional parasitosis (DP) is a rare form of somatic delusions where a person believes that he or she is infected with worms, bugs, or other parasites. In the literature, DP has been discussed as a presenting feature of cortical dementias but has not been documented as a presenting feature in subcortical dementias such as HIV-associated dementia. We present a case of a 56-year-old male referred from the dermatology clinic for neuropsychological assessment after presenting with persisting claims that he was infected with "bugs" despite evidence to the contrary. The patient had a history of HIV and substance abuse. The patient was diagnosed with dementia due to HIV disease and psychosis due to dementia (i.e., DP) based on the neuropsychological evaluation. This case report suggests that neuropsychological evaluations may be indicated for patients presenting with DP and risk factors for either cortical or subcortical dementias such as HIV-associated dementia.

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Delusions of Parasitiosis: a Case With a Review of its Course and Treatment

Cited by 6 publications

References 6 publications

Antipsychotic treatment of primary delusional parasitosis

Antipsychotic treatment of primary delusional parasitosis

Delusional Infestation

Delusional Parasitosis as a Presenting Feature of HIV Dementia: A Case Study

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