Imagine feeling an unbearable itch, convinced that tiny insects are crawling under your skin. But no doctor believes you. You try to prove it, collecting samples, documenting everything. But under a microscope? Nothing is there.
That was Paula Cox鈥檚 experience with delusional infestation, a rare disorder where people are absolutely certain they鈥檙e infested with bugs, despite all evidence to the contrary. In this episode, Paula shares her harrowing experience, and experts - a leading entomologist and a psychiatrist-dermatologist - explain what鈥檚 really happening in the brain and how healing is possible.
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GUESTS:
- : an entomologist and Associate Scientist at the 黑料吃瓜网 Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven. She oversees the daily activities of the insect inquiry office. She鈥檚 also the editor of
- Paula Cox: a woman in Australia who experienced delusional infestation. She started a Facebook support group called 鈥溾��
- : a Professor of Dermatology at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center and Director of the UCSF Psoriasis Skin and Treatment Center. He is board-certified in both dermatology and psychiatry and co-author of
Jessica Severin de Martinez, Meg Fitzgerald, Robyn Doyon-Aitken, and Meg Dalton contributed to this show, with help from our interns, Kathy Wang and Angelica Gajewski.
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