# Morgellons Disease **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 4, 2012, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morgellons-disease/617813 "2012-04-04T14:11:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morgellons-disease/617813/1 "2012-04-04T14:11:32Z")
I recently heard about a controversial skin disease called Morgellons. People who claim to have it say they have sores on their skin that never heal that “sprout” colored fibers. The CDC says this disease doesn’t exist and that it’s a mental disorder. > **[Morgellons](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgellons)** > > Morgellons (/mɔːrˈɡɛlənz/) is the informal name of a self-diagnosed, scientifically unsubstantiated skin condition in which individuals have sores that they believe contain fibrous material. Morgellons is not well understood, but the general medical consensus is that it is a form of delusional parasitosis, on the psychiatric spectrum. The sores are typically the result of compulsive scratching, and the fibers, when analysed, are consistently found to have originated from cotton and ot The cond... Does anyone here have any experience with this? Know anyone who claims to have it? The most famous person to be associated with Morgellons is Joni Mitchell. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morgellons-disease/617813/2 "2012-04-04T14:16:45Z")
The best scientific evidence at present indicates it doesn’t exist as a discrete disease. [CDC summary](http://www.cdc.gov/unexplaineddermopathy/) [The latest research review](http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0029908) ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morgellons-disease/617813/3 "2012-04-04T14:30:07Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > The best scientific evidence at present indicates it doesn’t exist as a discrete disease. > [CDC summary](http://www.cdc.gov/unexplaineddermopathy/) > [The latest research review](http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0029908) Thanks for the links. I was familiar with the CDC summary and the recent study in California. Have you ever come across any patients claiming to have this? ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morgellons-disease/617813/4 "2012-04-04T14:35:05Z")
Previous Morgellon’s threads. [#1](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=371470). [#2](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=577193). ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morgellons-disease/617813/5 "2012-04-04T15:01:58Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > Previous Morgellon’s threads. [#1](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=371470). [#2](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=577193). Thank you. I should have searched first. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morgellons-disease/617813/6 "2012-04-04T15:08:30Z")
I’ve had patients with “Morgellon’s”. A few in particular constantly brought in samples of the stuff they found on and in their skin. Repeated evaluation by the lab turned up clothing fibers or nothing at all. They could not be convinced they were not infested with something, and were not amenable to psychotherapy, insisting on course after course of anti-vermin treatments, skin biopsies, systemic antibiotics and steroids, etc. I did more than a few biopsies and empiric treatments to delouse people and reduce symptoms, along with many other investigatory tests on these folks, before concluding to my own satisfaction that there was nothing there. They became very upset with me when I would not give them what they wanted, which was generally more testing, more treatment, and more specialist referrals. I was glad when they were no longer my patients. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morgellons-disease/617813/7 "2012-04-04T17:55:02Z")
“Morgellon’s” sufferer louses up this thread in five… four… three… ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morgellons-disease/617813/8 "2012-04-04T18:19:17Z")
Here are some more links on the subject that make interesting reading a trainwreck kind of way, just to show everyone what we’re up against here: [Some evidence Morgellon’s is delusional parasitosis.](http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2011/05/still_more_evidence_that_morgellons_dise.php) [More evidence Morgellon’s is delusional parasitosis.](http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2012/01/still_more_evidence_that_morgellons_dise_1.php) [Here’s what happens when a Morgellon’s quack gets upset.](http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2010/02/answering_the_friday_mailbag_morgellons.php) ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morgellons-disease/617813/9 "2012-04-04T18:49:25Z")
Nitpick (sorry, couldn’t help myself!!): It’s “Morgellons”, not “Morgellon’s”. ---
**Author:** ![GythaOgg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/49beb7/32.png) [@GythaOgg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GythaOgg)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morgellons-disease/617813/10 "2012-04-04T22:32:07Z")
I once knew someone who claimed to have this. They told me how terribly disabled they were, how they had ‘fibers’ everywhere including their internal organs, and they could barely move to get out of bed. However, they also spent a notable amount of time travelling internationally for care, going to see specialists, attending conventions, etc etc etc and I realized how big of a disconnect there was between what they said they could and couldn’t do due to their health and what they were actually doing. (I was also amazed there were apparently conventions for folks about the disorder. I shouldn’t have been, I guess.) I lost track of this person a while back, which is probably a good thing as they were so obsessive about the issue and it got very old very quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Capt\_Kirk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@Capt\_Kirk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt_Kirk)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morgellons-disease/617813/11 "2012-04-05T00:05:50Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > Here are some more links on the subject that make interesting reading a trainwreck kind of way, just to show everyone what we’re up against here: > > [Some evidence Morgellon’s is delusional parasitosis.](http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2011/05/still_more_evidence_that_morgellons_dise.php) > [More evidence Morgellon’s is delusional parasitosis.](http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2012/01/still_more_evidence_that_morgellons_dise_1.php) > [Here’s what happens when a Morgellon’s quack gets upset.](http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2010/02/answering_the_friday_mailbag_morgellons.php) Wow ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morgellons-disease/617813/12 "2012-04-05T00:31:13Z")
We had a pretty creepy [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=325168) about it a few years back. There was a poster convinced he was infested with parasites. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2012, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morgellons-disease/617813/13 "2012-04-05T06:22:39Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > We had a pretty creepy [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=325168) about it a few years back. There was a poster convinced he was infested with parasites. I remember that thread. Now that I have neurological issues in my feet [not diabetic neuropathy, related to my pseudogout] I can see where if you are having issues with oversensitive nerves somewhere in your body, the minute random signals might be seen as the crawling tichy twitchy sensations they claim. Combine that with perhaps a slight skin condition where tiny cracks in the skin suppurate and collect dust and fibers you could seem to have _something_ going on. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2014, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morgellons-disease/617813/15 "2014-09-13T20:14:32Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > “Morgellon’s” sufferer louses up this thread in five… four… three… It took like two and a half years! ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2014, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morgellons-disease/617813/16 "2014-09-13T20:19:57Z")
i’m itching to report this. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2014, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morgellons-disease/617813/17 "2014-09-13T20:46:56Z")
> [@morgellonsanswers](#): > > PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE help spread the word about the website identified below and our efforts to provide Morgellons suffers with much needed answers. We are confident that our efforts will finally narrow the focus regarding causation as well as offer a real cure for Morgellons suffers. Please help us help those in need -[http://www.solvemorgellons.com](http://www.solvemorgellons.com) > > Thank you!!! I work with several psychiatrists. Would you like some contact information? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2014, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morgellons-disease/617813/19 "2014-09-13T20:55:23Z")
> [@morgellonsanswers](#): > > “louses up thread”? report what? We have no ulterior motive; simply want to help the Morgellons suffers with real answers There are already real answers. Morgellon’s doesn’t exist except in the mind of the patient.