Health providers induced iatrogenic delusions of infestation

Abstract

Patients that suffer from factitial dermatosis mutilate their skin, often lacking any consciousness of self-injury, attributing the resulting lesions to spontaneous development. The case hereby described shows how the health providers’ interventions led a patient from a baseline undiagnosed factitious disorder to frank delusions of infestation with Mycobacterium Kansasii, and a relentless search for antibiotic treatments. We highlight the need for educating health practitioners on the characteristics of psycho-cutaneous disorders.