by Dollie Forward

Created on: August 01, 2009   Last Updated: August 02, 2009

Sometimes when a "new" disease is discovered, there is a period of adjustment within the medical community when experts often argue about what causes the disease, what exactly defines the disease, and how to best treat the disease, and Morgellon's disease is no exception to this rule.

First named in 2002, Morgellon's disease is a fairly unknown condition where the patient suffers skin lesions that itch and burn. They will also frequently experience the sensation of bugs or parasites crawling under the skin, and can also encounter pain, fatigue, and have problems focusing. A common occurrence with this condition is the presence of fibers either in the skin, or coming from the wounds themselves, which can increase the level of pain and discomfort if removed.

Part of the controversy surrounding Morgellon's is that doctors cannot agree on the cause. A commonly held belief among dermatologists and psychiatrists is that this condition is actually delusional parasitosis, a condition where the sufferer imagines that parasites are crawling around under their skin, and often self-mutilates as a result in an attempt to find the parasites.

Those who believe that this disease is psychological in nature say that the fibers found in the wounds are just fibers from the patients' clothes that are getting caught in the lesions. Others say the fibers have been examined in a lab and are biological in nature, or in other words, they are not man made. The fibers can be white, red, blue, or any combination of those colors.

Others believe that the condition is biological or bacterial in nature, and the various treatments support this. And some believe that the condition may be environmental, such as a reaction to pesticides.

In the event of delusional parasitosis, the patient is usually treated with antipsychotic medications and therapy.

If an infectious disease is suspected, antibiotics, anti-fungals, and anti-parasitic medications are often used. Herbal supplements and light therapy have also been used. It is worth noting that some patients with Morgellon's also test positive for Lyme disease, and in some cases, treatment for Lyme disease has resulted in a remission of the Morgellon's.

Treatment should always be supervised by a competent doctor. There are reports of people self-diagnosing and self-treating themselves with veterinary medications or bleach, both of which could have potentially disastrous consequences. However, instances of self-diagnosis are not unreasonable since much of the medical community does not accept that Morgellons is a legitimate condition.

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