Monosymptomatic hypochondriacal psychosis manifesting as delusions of parasitosis. A description of four cases successfuly treated with pimozide.

A recent article in the Archives described the severe problems encountered in trying to treat patients with delusions of parasitosis. The present article describes four such cases, which fall into the larger category of monosymptomatic hypochondriacal psychoses, conditions that appear to be related to the paranoid disorders. Evidence is accumulating that such cases may respond very specifically to treatment with pimozide, a relatively new psychotropic medication. This drug keeps the symptoms in remission but does not effect a cure; nevertheless, it may represent a highly important advance in therapy in a condition traditionally regarded as virtually untreatable.