Talk:Delusional parasitosis

References to self-diagnosis in the context of a persistent psychosis are confusing and should be revised out

The article contains references to self-diagnosis. For example, "Since the early 2000s, a strong internet presence has led to increasing self-diagnosis." I believe that for example that sentence is trying to say something to the effect that more people begin to experience this delusion after exposure to it online, that they are self-diagnosing nonexistent myiasis. But the phrasing instead seems to say they're self-diagnosing with delusional parasitosis, when anosognosia is an inherent trait of the disorder, making self-diagnosis impossible. Likewise "Morgellons is considered to be a self-diagnosed subtype of this condition, in which individuals have sores that they believe contain harmful fibers." Self-diagnosing with morgellon's is similarly impossible by definition. In this case, the sentence seems to intend to cast doubt on the status of that disorder as a diagnosis by labelling it "merely self-diagnosed." That bias then leads to the contradictory statement. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.190.13.201 (talk) 07:42, 30 January 2022 (UTC)

The article can be edited by you as it is not currently protected. Ping SandyGeorgia to review the above suggestion. Azuredivay (talk) 08:02, 30 January 2022 (UTC)

Thanks for the ping; the cited text is from Moriarty, which is not freely available. I will locate the source (somewhere on my other computer, or buried in a file in my desk) and add some quotes so this can be clarified better, probably by the end of today. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 14:25, 30 January 2022 (UTC)

I've located the source, and as our article reflects accurately what it says, there is no need to add quotes to the article. I have made these adjustments; the self-diagnosis is Morgellons. (It is unclear why the OP says, "Self-diagnosing with morgellon's is similarly impossible by definition.")

From the 2019 source, which is a recent secondary review:

Morgellons disease is a controversial topic and although the etiology is unclear, the current medical view includes this as a subtype of delusional infestation. Patients with Morgellons disease identify harmful fibers in the skin associated with formication or other cutaneous dysesthesias. Patient awareness and self-diagnosis of this condition has increased since the early 2000s, correlating with a strong online presence. Repeated attempts at histopathologic evaluation have not documented infectious causes.

SandyGeorgia (Talk) 20:18, 30 January 2022 (UTC)

Thanks for the review. I made the right choice not making any edits myself.66.190.13.201 (talk) 06:14, 23 February 2022 (UTC)

after other types of delusions such as body odor or halitosis

Erm, halitosis can be very real and is described as such by the hyperlink in the word halitosis.

I do not content that the subject may believe these ailments to be much worse than they really are, but the article describes them as outright delusions, which they are not. 2A01:CB0C:CD:D800:8005:3B14:C6E:1AFB (talk) 13:37, 26 August 2022 (UTC)

I'm not sure you're parsing that text correctly, but if you were confused by it, so likely are others. Does this address your concern? SandyGeorgia (Talk) 16:52, 26 August 2022 (UTC)