Treatment of Ekbom Syndrome With Clozapine and Electroconvulsive Therapy

Abstract

Delusion of parasitosis (DP), which is also known as Ekbom syndrome, is a delusional disorder characterised by a false, fixed belief of being infested by insects or mites, despite the lack of supporting medical evidence. This disorder presents most commonly with the "Matchbox sign." DP can present as a primary or secondary delusional disorder. It can be associated with various psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia spectrum disorders, mood disorders, anxiety or substance abuse. Several organic conditions such as dementia, malignancies, vitamin deficiencies and cerebrovascular accidents can mimic symptoms of DP. Hereby, we present a case of schizophrenia in a young woman associated with DP in our inpatient care and the treatment outcome with the use of clozapine and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) regimen.

Keywords: clozapine; delusion of parasitosis; ekbom syndrome; electroconvulsive therapy (ect); schizophrenia.