Have any questions about how to use the community? Check out the Help Discussion.

What to do with someone that is obsessing with worms and bugs

lisajesiolowski
lisajesiolowski Member Posts: 1 Member
My mother is obsessing over worms and bugs being in her and all over the floor. I am unsure how to handle this. Can someone please help me?

Comments

  • DCCEPEK
    DCCEPEK Member Posts: 95
    25 Likes 25 Care Reactions 10 Comments First Anniversary
    Member

    Just agree..yep Mom I'm taking care of them. It's okay. The agreement and reassurance goes a long way. It will help you too.

    Sounds like she may need meds. Sending hugs.

  • Quilting brings calm
    Quilting brings calm Member Posts: 2,657
    2500 Comments 500 Insightfuls Reactions 500 Care Reactions 500 Likes
    Member

    There is a particular delusion about this. @M1 has said that it’s hard to treat

  • M1
    M1 Member Posts: 6,788
    1,500 Care Reactions 1,500 Likes 5000 Comments 1,000 Insightfuls Reactions
    Member
    edited March 2024

    Hi Lisa. There's a name for this--fermiculosis, or delusional parasitosis-and it is one of the hardest delusions to treat. There's a specific antipsychotic medication--pimozide--that is purportedly the drug of choice but even then it's not great (and of course you don't tell the person it's an antipsychotic, you just say it's to treat the infestation).

    I had a patient one time who was convinced her house was infested with mice. I persuaded her to try some Zoloft/sertraline--she said it made the mice quieter but didn't make them go away.

Commonly Used Abbreviations


DH = Dear Husband
DW= Dear Wife, Darling Wife
LO = Loved One
ES = Early Stage
EO = Early Onset
FTD = Frontotemporal Dementia
VD = Vascular Dementia
MC = Memory Care
AL = Assisted Living
POA = Power of Attorney
Read more