DermNetprovidesGoogleTranslate,afreemachinetranslationservice.Notethatthismaynotprovideanexacttranslationinalllanguageslogo-newThispagewasprintedon18/5/2021HomeTopicsA–ZImagesBrowseDermDiagGlossaryCMEQuizzesAboutContactJobsDonatebreadcrumbsHome»TopicsA–Z»DelusionsofparasitosisDelusionsofparasitosisAuthor:VanessaNgan,StaffWriter,2005.Delusionsofparasitosis—codesandconceptsopenSynonyms:Delusionalinfestation,Pseudoparasiticdysesthesia,Parasitophobia,CutaneousmonosymptomaticdelusionalpsychosisCategories:SystemicdisorderICD-10:F22ICD-11:MB26.09SNOMEDCT:238973003,19828005,238972008Whataredelusionsofparasitosis?Asthenamesuggestsdelusionsofparasitosisisaconditionwhereanindividualhasthemistakenbeliefthattheyarebeinginfestedbyparasitessuchasmites,lice,fleas,spiders,worms,bacteria,orotherorganisms.Delusionsofparasitosisaresometimescalleddelusionalinfestation,pseudoparasiticdysaesthesia,orparasitophobia.ItiscloselyrelatedtoMorgellonsdisease,inwhichanindividualfeelstheyhavefibrescomingoutoftheirskin.Whogetsdelusionsofparasitosisandwhatisthecause?Thecauseofdelusionsofparasitosisisunknownbutithasbeenclassifiedasamonosymptomatichypochondriacalpsychosis.Thistermisusedtodescribepatientswithasinglefixedhypochondriacaldelusionsustainedoveraconsiderableperiodbutnotsecondarytoanotherpsychiatricillness.Apartfromtheirdelusionsofparasitosis,patientsmayhaveanotherwisenormalpersonality,ormorecommonly,anacceptabledegreeofeccentricitywithatendencytowardssocialisolation.Delusionsofparasitosishavealsobeenassociatedwithotherpsychiatricillnessesincludingschizophrenia,obsessionalstates,depression,bipolardisorderandanxietydisorders.Thisisknownassecondarydelusionsofparasitosis.Delusionsofparasitosisoccurmostcommonlyinwhitemiddle-agedorolderwomen,althoughpeopleofallraces,sexandagecanbeaffected.Whatarethesignsandsymptomsofdelusionsofparasitosis?Peoplesufferingfromdelusionsofparasitosisoftendescribetheinfestationasbeinginorundertheskin,justinsidebodyopeningsorinsputum,insidetheirstomachorintestines,andin