A key element in the diagnosis of delusion of parasitosis is to exclude other possible explanations for the patient complaints. Sometimes a patient diagnosed as having delusion of parasitosis does not.
Diagnosis
Features
true insect infestation
may require a thorough, careful examination to detect
skin disorder
pruritus and other symptoms may be misinterpreted as insect activity
neuropathy
tingling and other symptoms may be misinterpreted as insect activity
central nervous system lesion
hallucinations
adverse drug effect
correlates with drug dosing
General features:
(1) The patient has an alternative explanation for the signs and symptoms.
(2) Successfully therapy of the underlying cause corrects the problem.
The presence of a psychiatric disorder can make diagnosis challenging. In theory a patient can have a mixed disorder with both psychiatric and organic diseases.
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