Delusional infestations

I’d never heard of such a thing until recently, when I was drawn to an article about it in The New York Times. Delusional infestation is the belief that you’re being infested by insects or parasites. It’s a complicated and rare phenomenon, but sufferers may go to extreme lengths to try curing themselves. One respected cancer researcher believed that insects were burrowing under his skin. He tried medications, exterminators, and even soaking himself in a bathtub of insecticide.

The point of the article had to do with people’s frustrations at not getting a diagnosis for their symptoms—such as brain fog or fatigue—when there are no visible signs of illness. They're left feeling frustrated and dismissed.

People who suffer from delusional infestations do, in fact, have something wrong with them. The causes might be an autoimmune disease, allergy, nerve damage, a thyroid condition, or drug side effects, all of which can produce an itching or even crawling sensation. Because of their frustration with the revolving door of health care providers, many of these sufferers have turned to entomologists for help.   

Starting in the early 2000s, one entomologist began seeing people who were convinced that bugs were inside their bodies. At first, there were one or two such people a year. In 2025, she received 1,610 inquiries from sufferers. Some people who come to her office have mutilated themselves to extract the phantom parasites. (For one thing, the entomologist explains that bugs need air to breathe and thus cannot burrow under the skin.)

If you have unbearable itching, I wish you good luck at getting a correct diagnosis. You can assume it’s not bugs burrowing into your body.

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