Morgellons: Disease or Delusions?

Paquette, Mary

doi:10.1111/j.1744-6163.2007.00113.x

Cited by 21 publications

(13 citation statements)

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“…He fails to provide any specific data supporting this claim but calls for "evidence-based medicine" for Morgellons (128). Paquette criticized that some members of the MRF board offer extended therapy with antibiotics and fungicides without any clear medical indication (256), capitalizing on the true despair of patients with so-called Morgellons (66,124).…”

Section: The Morgellons Phenomenonmentioning

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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Section: The Morgellons Phenomenonmentioning

confidence: 99%

Delusional Infestation

Freudenmann

Lepping²

2009

Clin Microbiol Rev

235

367

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“…Beim Dermatozoenwahn sind mehrheitlich Frauen zwischen 50-80 Jahren betroffen [9]. In den letzten Jahren mehren sich aus dem US- [10,16,17]. Aus den USA gibt es weiterhin Hinweise, dass die Rolle der modernen Medien und Internetforen bei der Weiterverbreitung von Wahninhalten von großer Bedeutung sind.…”

Section: Morgellons In Der Dermatologieunclassified

“…Aus den USA gibt es weiterhin Hinweise, dass die Rolle der modernen Medien und Internetforen bei der Weiterverbreitung von Wahninhalten von großer Bedeutung sind. Diese auch als "socially transmitted disease over the internet", "cyberchondria" oder (etwas unpassend) "folie à internet" bezeichneten Phä-nomene sollten zukünftig von Ärzten kritisch wahrgenommen und beobachtet werden [17]. Ein Besuch der Webseiten der Betroffenen ist sehr lehrreich (www.morgellons.org, www.morgellonsresearch.org).…”

Section: Morgellons In Der Dermatologieunclassified

“…Die betroffenen Internetnutzer lassen sich in den Foren registrieren (derzeit 13 600) und sind offenbar der festen Überzeugung, an einer durch die Ärzte nicht diagnostizierten und unklaren neuen Erkrankung zu leiden, deren Ursprung wegen der Unfähigkeit der Mediziner nicht feststellbar ist. Ungeachtet der fehlenden medizin-wissenschaftlichen Bestätigung von Morgellons kam es aufgrund der raschen Informationsverbreitung über das Internet zu einer immer größeren Anzahl von Betroffenen und dieses Phänomen erreichte inzwischen über Großbritannien auch Europa [17]. Die angebliche Morgellons-Krankheit wird von den Betroffenen und der MRF gegenwärtig definiert als ein Befall des psychopathologischen, geschichtlichen und epidemiologischen Erwägungen, als eine neue Variation des übergeordneten, zeitlich überdauernden Wahnthemas "Befall" (infestation) angesehen werden.…”

Section: Morgellons In Der Dermatologieunclassified

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Morgellons in der Dermatologie

Harth

Hermes

Freudenmann

2010

J Deutsche Derma Gesell

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SummaryDelusional parasitosis (DP) is the most frequent delusional disorder in dermatology. In DP there is a fixed belief of a usually skin-related invasion or infestation by a number of alleged infectious species (usually parasites and bacteria), whose identity has varied over the decades. Since 2002 worldwide an increasing number of patients have complained of unverifiable fibers and filaments in or on the skin, associated with numerous nonspecific complaints (arthralgias, altered cognitive function and extreme fatigue). This entity has been named "Morgellons disease" by the patients themselves, although medical evidence for its existence is lacking. As an example, we discuss a 55-year-old woman who complained of Morgellons disease and was treated as if she had DP. Currently the delusional assumption of infestation with Morgellons should be considered as a new type of DP with some kind of inanimate material. We therefore recommend in case of DP including Morgellons the use of the broader term "delusional infestation". Morgellons in der DermatologieMorgellons in dermatology

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“…The Morgellons Research Foundation (www.morgellons.org), a Web-based community developed in 2002, claims to have registered over 12,000 families who profess to have been affected by these symptoms and has lobbied the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to fund research of this condition (Vila-Rodriguez & MacEwan, 2008). In 2006, the CDC began an epidemiological investigation in order to rule out an environmental toxin or new strain of infection as the source of these symptoms (Paquette, 2007). Although the CDC briefly recognized Morgellons Disease, they later recanted and there is currently no widely accepted method of diagnosing this condition.…”

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confidence: 99%

Hypnosis in the Treatment of Morgellons Disease:A Case Study

Gartner

Dolan

Stanford

et al. 2011

International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis

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Morgellons Disease is a condition involving painful skin lesions, fibrous growths protruding from the skin, and subcutaneous stinging and burning sensations, along with symptoms of anxiety, depression, fatigue, and memory and attention deficits. The etiological and physiological bases of these symptoms are unclear, making the diagnosis controversial and challenging to treat. There are currently no established treatments for Morgellons Disease. The following case example depicts treatment of a woman with Morgellons Disease using hypnotherapy. Data from this case example suggest that hypnotherapy is a promising intervention for the physical and psychological symptoms associated with Morgellons Disease.

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Morgellons: Disease or Delusions?

Cited by 21 publications

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Delusional Infestation

Delusional Infestation

Morgellons in der Dermatologie

Hypnosis in the Treatment of Morgellons Disease:A Case Study

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