TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Delusional Infestation A1 - Bales, Brian D. A1 - Hensel, Max A2 - Knoop, Kevin J. A2 - Stack, Lawrence B. A2 - Storrow, Alan B. A2 - Thurman, R. Jason PY - 2021 T2 - The Atlas of Emergency Medicine, 5e AB - Delusional infestation (delusional parasitosis) is a rare disorder in which individuals have the delusion that they are infected by a living organism such as worms, mites, bugs, and parasites. Rational reasoning does not impact the delusion. Delusional infestation is more common in patients over the age of 50 and in women. Three of four patients have a concurrent mental health illness, including depression, anxiety, and drug abuse. Such patients often present with excoriations (Fig. 27.31) and frequently complain of pruritis. It is common for patients suffering from this disorder to present with specimens to support their argument such as bags of stool (Fig. 27.32) or specimens including string or scabs that they have picked from their skin. SN - PB - McGraw-Hill CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/03/29 UR - accessemergencymedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1181053335 ER -