Infestations can be very difficult to handle in online science outreach projects. We do our best to give the best possible advice, but ultimately it’s an issue where you need boots on the ground.
During our infestation post, we mentioned that there were mental illnesses which made people believe they’re infested with parasites. Even with boots on the ground, this line can be hard to draw. People who have had real infestations, like the one below, often exhibit a hyper-vigilance which keeps them repeatedly checking for insects for years to come.
In other cases, people have obsessive thoughts that they are infested. They’ll often go to entomologists, and claim they’re infested. They’ll bring samples or specimens, which are free of anything which infests homes, pets, or people. Often times, they’ll travel from medical professional to medical professional in hopes that the medical professional will be able to take care of the issue.
The former case is willing (and often relieved) to discover their infestation has not returned. The latter case is unwilling to accept that they are not infested, and will often become angry or confrontational when given the “all clear” from a doctor or an entomologist.
That latter case, where people are unwilling to accept they do not have an infestation, is a legitimate mental illness called Ekbom syndrome by entomologists. It’s something which is very commonly encountered by insect scientists. Despite that, we do not receive training on how to handle this sort of psychological issue during our education.
So to better educate myself how to properly handle this, I wanted to write a post on here which revolves around how people in the medical profession recognize and ultimately handle this condition.
Trigger warning: This post discusses psychiatric disorders and will describe some forms of self-harm. We will not post anything gory below the fold, but we will discuss topics which may disturb some readers. Due to the sensitive and uncertain nature of this topic, we have opted not to post any of the queries which prompted this post.
For further information log on website :
https://askentomologists.com/page/2/
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