Successful treatment of patients previously labeled as having "Delusions of parasitosis" with antidepressant therapy

Delusions of parasitosis (DOP) is a somatic subtype of delusional disorder, also known as monosymptomatic hypochondriacal psychosis. The management of DOP has been discussed extensively in the medical literature. Patients with suspected DOP have a broad differential diagnosis, including skin-based or systemic medical conditions and several kinds of psychiatric disease. However, there are many patients who have been labeled with DOP but do not meet the diagnostic criteria or who present with additional somatic complaints. These cases are a unique therapeutic challenge for dermatologists and psychiatrists alike and have not been thoroughly studied or reported. We present a patient referred for DOP who benefited substantially with antidepressant therapy.