“Worm crawling inside my brain”: a rare case of delusional parasitosis

Abstract

Delusional parasitosis is a disorder in which persons suffering have a firm and unshakeable belief of harbouring some parasite or worm in his/her body. In today’s nosology, it has been placed under delusional disorder-somatic type in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) (297.1) and under persistent delusional disorders in the tenth revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10) (F22). Existing literature has extensively described this condition to affect mainly the skin with some instances of affecting the oral mucosa and the intestine. We are reporting a rare case of delusional disorder of parasite infestation in the brain.

Keywords

• Hypochondriasis
• Hallucinations
• Risperidone
• Skin