Itchy Skin: Imaginary Bugs Often Blamed
Dermatologists Say Patients Have a Hard Time Believing Itch Is a Psychiatric Condition
This condition is the bane of many dermatologists’ existence, says Bruce Strober, MD, an assistant professor of dermatology at New York University Langone Medical Center in New York City. “People with delusions of parasitosis are a great challenge to us,” he says. “It's clearly a psychiatric disorder that requires psychiatric medication and counseling. Unfortunately, these patients are rarely amenable to those approaches.”
Donald S. Waldorf, a dermatologist in Nanuet, N.Y., has seen his fair share of patients with a delusional bug syndrome. As a result, he has developed his own approach to treating these patients.
“They often come in with a bag of stuff, including threads and dead skin, but nothing real and capable of infestation,” he says. “They also dig at and scratch their skin.”
Waldorf will often prescribe topical agents to prevent infections from scratching and may suggest steroids to reduce inflammation. Sometimes, he will prescribe psychiatric medications.
“They won’t go to a psychiatrist,” he says. “If tell them to go, I will have lost them, so I basically give them support and prevent infection,” he says.
Adult Skin Problems: Pictures of Psoriasis, Rosacea, Skin Tags, and More
Itchy Skin: Imaginary Bugs Often Blamed
Dermatologists Say Patients Have a Hard Time Believing Itch Is a Psychiatric Condition
Dermatologists' Dilemma
This condition is the bane of many dermatologists’ existence, says Bruce Strober, MD, an assistant professor of dermatology at New York University Langone Medical Center in New York City. “People with delusions of parasitosis are a great challenge to us,” he says. “It's clearly a psychiatric disorder that requires psychiatric medication and counseling. Unfortunately, these patients are rarely amenable to those approaches.”
Donald S. Waldorf, a dermatologist in Nanuet, N.Y., has seen his fair share of patients with a delusional bug syndrome. As a result, he has developed his own approach to treating these patients.
“They often come in with a bag of stuff, including threads and dead skin, but nothing real and capable of infestation,” he says. “They also dig at and scratch their skin.”
Waldorf will often prescribe topical agents to prevent infections from scratching and may suggest steroids to reduce inflammation. Sometimes, he will prescribe psychiatric medications.
“They won’t go to a psychiatrist,” he says. “If tell them to go, I will have lost them, so I basically give them support and prevent infection,” he says.
Adult Skin Problems: Pictures of Psoriasis, Rosacea, Skin Tags, and More