Invisible invaders: a decade of delusional infestation cases in Connecticut (2013-2023)

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Entomology
• Public Health

Background:

• Delusional infestation (DI) is a psychiatric condition involving a false belief of parasitic infestation.
• Existing literature on DI primarily comes from medical settings, overlooking non-medical professional consultations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the demographic and clinical profile of individuals with suspected DI presenting to an entomology office.
• To analyze the characteristics of DI cases encountered by non-medical professionals.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective case series of 264 individuals presenting with suspected DI to an agricultural experiment station's Insect Information Office (2013-2023).
• Analysis of patient demographics, symptom duration, specimen submissions, prior interventions, and psychosocial impacts.

Main Results:

• The cohort was predominantly female (74.6%) with a mean age of 60.8 years.
• No submitted specimens contained arthropods causing symptoms; antiparasitic medications were more common than antipsychotics.
• Shorter symptom duration suggests entomology encounters DI patients earlier in their illness trajectory.

Conclusions:

• Entomological professionals encounter DI patients early, indicating potential for earlier intervention.
• Findings support integrating entomologists into DI management and establishing psychiatric care referral pathways.