Delusional parasitosis associated with pemoline.

Accessible online at: www.karger.com/psp In delusional parasitosis a patient believes that he is infested with parasites or other small living organisms even though there is no supporting medical evidence. The disorder has been known for well over 100 years and has been given many different names. It is quite rare, occurring in 20 out of 10,000 psychiatric admissions [1–3], but the majority of patients are seen by dermatologists and other medical specialists [4]. The delusions are usually encapsulated and sometimes associated with a depressive disorder or use of illicit drugs. Freinhar [5] described three categories of delusional parasitosis: primary psychotic, secondary functional and secondary organic. The secondary functional group includes patients with a toxic manifestation.