One form of delusional parasitosis is Morgellons disease. Symptoms of Morgellons disease include the feeling that fibers are emerging from the skin. People with this condition often report feeling as if something is crawling on or stinging their skin.
What do Morgellons fibers look like? The skin fibers observed in the CDC study were reported to be "consistent with skin fragments or materials such as cotton." When observed under a microscope, Morgellons fibers look like small, thin, threadlike structures emerging from the skin.
There is no cure for Morgellons. Treating other medical or psychiatric problems may ease Morgellons symptoms in some patients. A team of medical researchers at the Mayo Clinic also recommend that patients with these symptoms undergo psychiatric evaluation.
What is the outlook for a person with Morgellons disease? Although health experts do not know much about Morgellons disease, the condition itself does not appear to be life threatening. As a result, a person with the condition should live a typical lifespan according to their overall health.
Joni Mitchell has said she suffered from Morgellons disease
Over the years, Mitchell has frequently spoken about her experience with Morgellons disease, which the Mayo Clinic describes as an "unexplained skin condition."
Delusions of parasitosis is classically treated with typical antipsychotic agents, the traditional dermatologic choice being pimozide.
SGAs such as risperidone, amisulpride, olanzapine, aripiprazole, and quetiapine are considered the drugs of choice for the treatment of MD [1]. These newer drugs have more favorable AE profiles when compared to FGAs such as pimozide, which may contribute to improved adherence to this drug class [16].
The mental symptoms seen in Morgellons are similar to those of other chronic general medical illnesses with psychiatric manifestations, since the mental symptoms fluctuate in a pattern similar to that of the general medical symptoms; and this suggests that the mental symptoms are probably associated with immune and/or ...
Lyme Disease (LD) is one of these infections. Borrelia burgdorferi spirochetes have been found in most but not all Morgellons patients and Borrelia garinii, B. miyamotoi and B. hermsii species have also been found in Morgellons patients [3].
Sebaceous filaments help move oil from your sebaceous glands to the surface of your skin. They sometimes look large and can be confused for blackheads, but they help keep your skin hydrated. Age, skin care and the thickness of hair follicles determine how noticeable they are.
Morgellons disease (MD) is a disfiguring and perplexing skin condition associated with spirochetal infection and tick-borne illness. This poorly understood condition has a worldwide distribution, with estimated self-reported cases numbering over 14,000 in 2009.
The study also noted that the condition is most often seen in middle-aged white women. The study found that the symptoms of Morgellons disease are very similar to those of a mental illness involving false beliefs about infestation by parasites. This condition is called delusional infestation.
Common warts. Common warts (verruca vulgaris) are skin bumps with rough surfaces and tiny black specks. They can occur anywhere in the body but most often on hands and fingers. The cause of common warts is exposure to and infection by the HPV virus. It can take up to 6 months for them to appear after viral exposure.
Formication is a symptom where you hallucinate the feeling of insects crawling in, on or underneath your skin. This symptom has many possible causes, including mental health disorders, medical conditions and more.
Morgellons disease (MD) is a skin condition associated with Lyme disease (LD) and tick-borne illness. Patients with this skin disorder experience ulcerative lesions that contain multicolored filamentous collagen and keratin inclusions.
Purulent drainage refers to thick, milky discharge that comes out of a wound. It usually means you have infection, so it's important to get prompt medical care.
Morgellons is poorly understood but the general medical consensus is that it is a form of delusional parasitosis in which individuals have some form of skin condition with sores that they believe contain fibers.
These filaments are a natural part of skin's follicle (pore) structure, and everyone has them. However, if your skin is oily or if your pores are large and prone to becoming clogged, you're more likely to notice them. A sebaceous filament becomes visible as the lining of your pore fills up with sebum (oil).
What is cutaneous filariasis? Filariasis is a parasitic disease caused by thread-like filarial nematodes (roundworms) in the family Filarioidea (also known as 'filariae').
People with delusional parasitosis believe that "parasites, worms, mites, bacteria, fungus" or similar organisms have infected them. Reasoning or logic cannot change this fixed, false belief. Symptoms can differ among those with the condition. It often involves a crawling or pin-pricking sensation.
Treatment options
Reported cure rates at 6 months after treatment with albendazole are >90% and after treatment with ivermectin range from 76–95.2%. Albendazole may cause outward migration of larvae. Ivermectin may cause a temporary increase of cutaneous symptoms.