r/todayilearned • u/1998199888 • 2d ago

TIL about Delusional parasitosis, sometimes referred to as phantom infestation, is a psychological disorder in which an individual mistakenly believes their body is overrun by living or inanimate entities. Typical examples of these perceived invaders include bugs, worms, or microbes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delusional_parasitosis
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u/HyruleTrigger 2d ago

I have a friend who I met in college because she was having a severe episode of Delusional Parasitosis. She told me that it felt like bugs crawling all over her skin. She knew that it wasn't true but the feeling was so overwhelming that she couldn't even move. I sat with her until she stopped crying and tried to get her to come to class. She didn't, but she was able to stand up and go back to her dorm to sleep.

A year later she thanked me for being the only person to actively try to help her. This was almost 20 years ago. Now she's got a PhD, a husband (whom I think very highly of) and two kids. I am really glad she's doing ok, now.

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u/chronic_wonder 2d ago

Can I ask if they ever found out what was causing the delusions?

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u/seapube 2d ago

From what it sounds like, stress and depression

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u/chronic_wonder 2d ago

Sure, but that doesn't trigger delusions in everyone. I'm trying to understand whether delusions tend to be linked to an underlying mental health condition, such as anxiety or schizophrenia, or whether there may be other causative factors.

It sounds as though some cases at least may be related to other medical causes, such as vitamin B12 deficiency, meningitis or stroke and I find it quite interesting that this seems to have been an isolated incident and she was otherwise able to resume a normal life.

Can I ask if you were the one who downvoted? Nbd if you did but someone's going around downvoting everything on my account and I'm trying to figure out who to block.

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u/BarQuiet6338 7h ago

People can have psychotic depression where they experience pretty horrific psychotic symptoms, including delusions, and in some causes hallucinations, it's actually more common than you think for people with severe depression to have a degree of psychosis with thier depression.

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u/seapube 1d ago

Delusions don’t get triggered in everybody with depression but that doesn’t negate the fact that it still happens, and it’s probably under reported.

Also if I were the person taking time out of my day to go through your comments to downvote them, why would I admit it?

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u/chronic_wonder 1d ago

I'm not sure why, but I seem to have hit a nerve somehow.

I'm not saying you're the one systematically downvoting, but trying to establish a pattern.

Hope your day gets better.

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u/[deleted] 2d ago

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