A Case of Delusions of Parasitosis Responsive to Pimozide / 대한피부과학회지

ABSTRACT

Delusions of parasitosis is a type of monosymptomatic hypochondrial psychosis and is defined as the fixed belief that one is infested with living organisms, in t.he abscence of any objective evidence that such infestation exists. A 43 year-old woman had a 2-month history of generalized pruritus and skin ulceration on the buttock representing dermatitis artefacta. She also complained of seeing small black insects crawling on her whole body skin, especially on the pubic area without evidence of cutaneous invasion by the parasites. She had no evidence of other medical diseases. She was treated with oral pimozide, starting with 1mg/day to 3mg/day. In two weeks, clinical symptoms and false belief that she is infested with parasites subsided.