How Often Is Morgellons Disease Misdiagnosed?

Because little is known about the disease, Morgellons is often misdiagnosed. It is almost like forcing a square peg into a round hole. Any symptom, taken by itself, could fit a multitude of diseases. But when put together, the symptoms fit the description of no known disease. This is the dilemma facing doctors. They are unwilling to acknowledge that they may be dealing with something that cannot be found in their medical textbooks.

Morgellons is most commonly misdiagnosed as delusional parasitosis. Because patients suffering from Morgellons often present with formication, the sensation of bugs crawling beneath the skin, many dermatologists have concluded that the causation is psychological instead of physical. It is true that formication is a symptom of delusional parasitosis. Yet formication presents in other conditions as well. One thing that seems to hurt a patient’s chances with getting an unbiased evaluation is bringing the fibers removed from lesions to the consultation as proof. This only cements in the doctor’s mind that the patient is suffering from a mental condition, when the patient only meant to prove that they were not crazy. Also, since there are some neurological symptoms associated with Morgellons, a diagnosis of delusions of parasitosis is the path of least resistance for doctors across the country treating these patients who present with unexplainable symptoms.

When doctors don’t diagnose patients with a mental disorder, they often try to attach a diagnosis of a known skin parasite such as scabies. Again, Morgellons and scabies do have common symptoms. Some of these include rash, lesions, and itching. However, research has shown that Morgellons is different than scabies. If there are parasites infecting the bodies of individuals suffering from Morgellons, they are not easily found. Although skin parasites have not been ruled out as the cause of Morgellons, the disease is not caused by the same mites that burrow into the skin of those suffering from scabies. Rarely does treatment for scabies work for Morgellons patients. Instead, Morgellons patients are left feeling even more frustrated.

In some cases, the misdiagnosis is just as painful as the disease. Patients are leaving doctors offices feeling defeated. This is the true tragedy of the disease. Some patients have committed suicide because they felt they were out of options, and the suffering they were experiencing was unbearable. The people who are supposed to be helping are only adding more weight to these already overburdened individuals. They are being told that they are crazy when they are really just desperate. Their only outlet is online communities offering information and support to help them face another day. The online presence of such groups as the Morgellons Research Foundation has given people hope that there can be a cure. For a number of Morgellons patients dealing with the debilitating thing, hope is a powerful thing. In some cases, it is the only thing they have to hold on to.

Thankfully, there are doctors who are beginning to treat Morgellons as the yet-to-be-identified disease that it is. They may not have the answers, but they are willing to look for them. These doctors try to find safe effective treatments and offer support when they cannot provide relief.