title: Delusions of parasitosis; suggested dialogue between dermatologist and patient.
abstract: Delusions of parasitosis (DoP) is a psychocutaneous condition characterized by a fixed false belief that one is infested by skin parasites. Patients afflicted with DoP generally experience sensations of biting, stinging or crawling in the absence of any objective evidence of infestation. The most definitive treatment for DoP is antipsychotic agents. Though the diagnosis and treatment options are rather straightforward, the difficulty lies in the art of building a therapeutic rapport with the patient in order to encourage acceptance of antipsychotic treatment. This article is a practical guide that suggests verbatim how dermatologists might talk to a delusional patient in order to establish a strong therapeutic rapport. Strategies on how to optimize the initial encounter, build rapport and prescribe antipsychotic medications that are likely to be accepted by the patient are discussed.
authors.affiliation: a Irvine School of Medicine, University of California at Irvine , Irvine , CA , USA and.
authors.forename: Viraat
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.affiliation: b Department of Dermatology , Psoriasis and Skin Treatment Center, University of California , San Francisco , CA , USA.
authors.forename: John Y M
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Koo
mesh_terms: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003142:Communication; D003702:Delusions / Q000188:drug therapy*; D003880:Dermatology / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D010146:Pain; D010272:Parasitic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000379:methods; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents
keywords: Delusions; dialogue; infestation; parasitosis; psychodermatology