The condition leads to social isolation and affects employment. Cure may be achieved with antipsychotics or by treating underlying psychiatric conditions. Epidemiology
While a rare disorder, delusional parasitosis is the most common of the hypochondriacal psychoses, and more common than other types of delusions such as those associated with body odor or halitosis. It may be undetected because those who have it do not see a psychiatrist because they dont recognize the condition as a delusion. A population-based study in Olmsted County, Minnesota found a prevalence of 27 per 100,000 person-years and an incidence of almost 2 cases per 100,000 person-years. The majority of dermatologists will see at least one person with DP during their career.It is observed twice as often in women than men. The highest incidence occurs in people in their 60s, but there is also a higher occurrence in people in their 30s, associated with substance use. It occurs most often in "socially isolated" women with an average age of 57.Since the early 2000s, a strong internet presence has led to increasing self-diagnosis of Morgellons. History
Karl-Axel Ekbom, a Swedish neurologist, first described delusional parasitosis as "pre-senile delusion of infestation" in 1937. The common name has changed many times since then. Ekbom originally used the German word dermatozoenwahn, but other countries used the term Ekboms syndrome. That term fell out of favor because it also referred to restless legs syndrome. Other names that referenced "phobia" were rejected because anxiety disorder was not typical of the symptoms.
Cognitive deficit is an inclusive term to describe any characteristic that acts as a barrier to the cognition process.The term may describe

deficits in overall intelligence (as with intellectual disabilities),
specific and restricted deficits in cognitive abilities (such as in learning disorders like dyslexia),
neuropsychological deficits (such as in attention, working memory or executive function),
or it may describe drug-induced impairment in cognition and memory (such as that seen with alcohol, glucocorticoids, and the benzodiazepines.) Cause
It usually refers to a durable characteristic, as opposed to altered level of consciousness, which may be acute and reversible. Cognitive deficits may be inborn or caused by environmental factors such as brain injuries, neurological disorders, or mental illness. Screening
Screening for cognitive impairment in those over the age of 65 without symptoms is of unclear benefit versus harm as of 2020. In a large population-based cohort study included 579,710 66-year-old adults who were followed for a total of 3,870,293 person-years (average 6.68 ± 1.33 years per person), subjective cognitive decline was significantly associated with an increased risk of subsequent dementia. Treatment
Older people with cognitive impairment appear to improve somewhat with light therapy. Other findings
Although one would expect cognitive decline to have major effects on job performance, it seems that there is little to no correlation of health with job performance. With the exception of cognitive-dependent jobs such as air-traffic controller, professional athlete, or other elite jobs, age does not seem to impact ones job performance. This obviously conflicts with cognitive tests given, so the matter has been researched further.