Introduction:

delusional parasitosis, also known as delusional infestation or Ekbom's syndrome, is a relatively uncommon psychotic disorder characterized by an unshakable false belief that a parasitic skin infestation exists, despite the absence of medical evidence to support this claim.

Objective:

to describe the therapeutic options for patients with delusional parasitosis.

Methods:

a search for information was carried out in the PubMed and SciELO databases, using the search terms: "delirious parasitosis", "delirious infestation" and "Ekbom's syndrome".

Development:

in drug selection, both efficacy and possible side effects should be analyzed in detail. All atypical antipsychotics can cause metabolic dysfunction, so constant monitoring of laboratory values during therapy is necessary. There is no known consensus on the dose of antipsychotics to use in cases of delirious parasitosis. In elderly patients, the dose should be adjusted according to age, renal and hepatic function and the presence of other chronic diseases. Doses range from 1 to 8 mg/day of risperidone and 5 to 10 mg/day of olanzapine.

Conclusions:

it is imperative that the treatment of parasitic delusions involves an integrated approach, with an interprofessional team consisting of physicians, specialists, psychiatric health nurses and pharmacists working collaboratively to achieve the best outcomes for patients.

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