Morgellons Disease is a Mystery
An Ancient Psychological Disorder is Diagnosed and Treated
Delusional parasitosis is a rare, time-honored psychiatric disorder in which you feel bugs crawling under your skin. Is Morgellons disease a variation of this disorder?
Some experts say Morgellons disease is a mystery. Other say it's a variation of delusional parasitosis. How do we know who is right?
The Morgellons Disease Mystery
Morgellons disease is a medical condition. Delusional parasitosis is a psychiatric disorder. People with Morgellons disease and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are embroiled in a heated debate over which is rearing its head. Is it Morgellons disease or delusional parasitosis?
According to Psychology Today (March/April 2007), this problem – Morgellons disease – was brought to light by a layperson who has a sick two-year old son. Clinicians and doctors are frustrated because they don't know how to proceed. Usually, an official source provides credible information that a new problem exists - such as Morgellons disease.
A layperson armed with a 17th century French medical article describing an obscure condition isn't the usual source of a new (or revived) medical or psychological disorder.
What is Morgellons Disease?
The morgellons are black hairs that emerge from the skin. The most visible aspect of Morgellons disease is skin symptoms, leading patients to consult dermatologists first. People with Morgellons disease often bring samples of what's found in their skin in matchboxes or plastic baggies; dermatologists determine those samples to be clothing fibers, and diagnose patients with delusional parasitosis. They prescribe antipsychotic medication.
A dermatologist in California called Noah Craft was approached by the Center for Disease Control to provide information about Morgellons disease for this investigation. Three years ago, his first "real" Morgellons patient brought information from the internet, not samples in a baggie. A dozen other doctors missed it, but she really had Morgellons disease. Now Craft biopsies the skin of all potential Morgellons patients to "do due diligence to rule out other causes" – and has seen a handful of people with Morgellons disease.
Is it Morgellons Disease or Delusional Parasitosis?
Most physicians lean towards delusional parasitosis, but a few experts think there's more to it than a psychiatric disorder. One reason is that the fibers from the two-year old boy with the layperson mother are unidentifiable. They're unknown even to forensic and fiber experts. Another reason is that people with Morgellons disease are all sick in similar ways. People with Morgellons suffer from confusion, cognitive problems, loss of control of one foot, sagging mouth, neurological symptoms, joint pain, fatigue, skin sores and scars. A third is that close investigation with a dermatoscope reveals black, red, blue, and white fibers protruding from the skin (and they couldn't have been planted by the patient, which is part of delusional parasitosis).
A co-infection could be occurring; 90% of people with Morgellons disease test positive for Lyme disease. The reason is unknown, but perhaps people with weakened immune systems could be at higher risk for both diseases.
Psychological Symptoms of Morgellons Disease
In the beginning stages of Morgellons, patients can't tell their story very well. They're usually forgetful and display speech hesitancies. As the disease progresses people with Morgellons can display extreme paranoia and even delusional behavior. Their personalities can change and other diagnoses can result: bipolar, ADHD, or autism. Morgellons isn't a well-known, easily-diagnosed disease and the patients are aware of this: the stigma of being told they have a psychological disorder instead of a "real" disease can trigger self-doubt, confusion, and fear – which could spiral downwards into a more serious psychological disorder.
Doctors and Psychologists' Perspective of Morgellons Disease
It's not easy for doctors to diagnose rare diseases like Morgellons, and deal with the psychological and emotional aspects of their patients. That's a great deal to juggle in a ten minute visit! Further, the health system is quite compartmentalized, making it difficult for doctors to communicate and pull all the pieces of Morgellons disease together. In other words, they don't know the answer to the Morgellons disease mystery.
What happens next?
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will continue their investigation of Morgellons disease and delusional parasitosis. Whether Morgellons becomes a more common diagnosis or whether it's a type of delusional parasitosis remains to be seen.
If you found Morgellons Mystery: An Ancient Psychological Disorder is Diagnosed and Treated interesting, try:
- Psychological Disorders
- Three Bizarre Psychological Cases
- How Your Personality Affects Your Health
- The Big Five Personality Traits
