Search Results (6)

Ekbom Syndrome, also known as Delusional Parasitosis (DP), is considered a rare psychiatric condition. Based on diagnostic criteria, it is characterized by the strong belief of being infested with various parasites, as well as the presence of perceptual disturbances, usually tactile and/or visual hallucinations. The syndrome can manifest idiopathically or in connection with other medical conditions and substance use. Diagnosis is challenging, as patients tend to pursue dermatological care initially. This case report describes an 81-year-old female diagnosed with Ekbom Syndrome, presenting with severe anxiety, insomnia, and persistent delusions of infestation. Initial treatment with low-dose Risperidone (2 mg/day) was ineffective, requiring a dose escalation to 4 mg/day. However, the patient’s nonadherence to follow-up limited the assessment of long-term outcomes. This case highlights key clinical challenges in elderly patients, particularly dose titration, treatment response, and adherence issues. Comparative analysis with prior case reports suggests that higher doses of Risperidone (3–6 mg/day) may be required for symptom remission, but long-term outcomes remain uncertain. Additionally, nonadherence remains a major barrier, underscoring the need for structured monitoring and caregiver involvement. These findings offer insights into antipsychotic strategies for Ekbom Syndrome, highlighting individualized pharmacotherapy, long-term follow-up, and adherence support in elderly patients. Full article

The review brings together a wealth of case studies, both from the authors’ patients and from the literature, about people whose bodies do not feel as they really should. Body parts suddenly become longer or shorter, heavier or lighter and there may be a loss of body control to the point where individuals feel as if they no longer have a body at all. The article differentiates by type of causes: mental disorders (e.g., psychosis), the influence of drugs on body perception and neurological causes. Depending on the type of body change, examples are given from the categories of sexually toned changes in body perception, out-of-body experiences and near-death experiences. Since there are countless types of body image disorders, the article is limited to a selective selection of the most interesting and sometimes obscure deviations. Full article

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic, progressive neurological disorder and the second most common neurodegenerative condition. We report three common but overlooked symptoms in PD—hiccups, hypersalivation, and hallucinations—in terms of their prevalence, pathophysiology, and up-to-date evidence-based treatment strategies. Whilst all these three symptoms do occur in many other neurological and non-neurological conditions, early recognition and treatment are paramount. Whilst hiccups affect 3% of healthy people, their rate of occurrence is higher (20%) in patients with PD. Hypersalivation (Sialorrhea) is another common neurological manifestation of many neurological and other neurodegenerative conditions such as motor neuron disease (MND), with a median prevalence rate of 56% (range: 32–74%). A 42% prevalence of sialorrhea is also reported in sub-optimally treated patients with PD. Hallucinations, especially visual hallucinations, are commonly reported, with a prevalence of 32–63% in PD, and a 55–78% prevalence is noted in patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), followed by tactile hallucinations, which are indicated by a sensation of crawling bugs or imaginary creatures across the skin surface. Whilst mainstay and primary management strategies for all these three symptoms are carried out through history taking, it is also essential to identify and treat possible potential triggers such as infection, minimise or avoid causative (such as drug-induced) factors, and especially carry out patient education before considering more definitive treatment strategies, such as botulinum toxin therapies for hypersalivation, to improve the quality of life of patients. This original review paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the disease mechanisms, pathophysiology, and management of hiccups, hypersalivation, and hallucinations in Parkinson’s disease. Full article

Psychosis in Parkinson’s disease (PDP) represents a common and debilitating condition that complicates Parkinson’s disease (PD), mainly in the later stages. The spectrum of psychotic symptoms are heterogeneous, ranging from minor phenomena of mild illusions, passage hallucinations and sense of presence to severe psychosis consisting of visual hallucinations (and rarely, auditory and tactile or gustatory) and paranoid delusions. PDP is associated with increased caregiver stress, poorer quality of life for patients and carers, reduced survival and risk of institutionalization with a significant burden on the healthcare system. Although several risk factors for PDP development have been identified, such as aging, sleep disturbances, long history of PD, cognitive impairment, depression and visual disorders, the pathophysiology of psychosis in PD is complex and still insufficiently clarified. Additionally, several drugs used to treat PD can aggravate or even precipitate PDP. Herein, we reviewed and critically analyzed recent studies exploring the genetic architecture of psychosis in PD in order to further understand the pathophysiology of PDP, the risk factors as well as the most suitable therapeutic strategies. Full article

Tactile hallucinations frequently occur after mental illnesses and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Despite their common occurrence, there are several complicating factors that make it difficult to elucidate the tactile hallucinations. The forehead tactile hallucination, evoked by the physical object approaching to the forehead, can be easily and consistently evoked in healthy-bodied subjects, and therefore it would help with investigating the mechanism of tactile hallucinations. In this pilot study, we investigated the principles of the forehead tactile hallucination with eight healthy subjects. We designed the experimental setup to test the effect of sharpness and speed of objects approaching towards the forehead on the forehead tactile hallucination, in both a physical and virtual experimental setting. The forehead tactile hallucination was successfully evoked by virtual object as well as physical object, approaching the forehead. The forehead tactile hallucination was increased by the increase of sharpness and speed of the approaching object. The forehead tactile hallucination also increased the tactile sensitivity on the forehead. The forehead tactile hallucination can be solely evoked by visual feedback and augmented by the increased perceived risk. The forehead tactile hallucination also increases tactile sensitivity. These experimental results may enhance the understanding of the foundational mechanisms of tactile hallucinations. Full article

Background: Hallucinations involve sensing things such as visions, sounds, or smells that seem real but are not. These things are created by the mind. However, little is known about the distribution of incident hallucinations in the community. This paper aims to examine manifestation and frequency of the hallucinatory experiences within the general Croatian population. Methods: The instrument of the survey is Chicago Hallucination Assessment Tool (CHAT). The study included 521 examinees; 284 females (54.5%) and males 237 (45.5%). Results: There was a manifestation of all types of hallucinatory experiences determined. Out of all of the participants 17% listed that they experienced acoustic hallucinations during their lifetime, 15% said that they have experienced visual hallucinations, 12% olfactory hallucinations, 10% gustatory and 12% tactile/cenesthetic hallucinations. Conclusion: The results of this research have indicated that simple hallucinations were mostly represented among the general Croatian population and those more complex were represented less which is a positive thing because of its prominent clinical significance. The contribution of this study is the possibility of comparisons with studies from different regions of Europe and the world. This is another component in a better understanding of the incidence of hallucinations in the general population. The data we have obtained puts us on the map of countries trying to raise awareness of a topic that needs to acquire more attention. Full article