Thursday, May 19, 2011

A New Psychiatric Disorder, as defined by Sandeep Sobti, MD

Tickodermaphobia:

The persistent fear that ticks might be walking around on your skin, exacerbated by going outdoors for as little as 5 seconds, which causes marked emotional distress, nightmares, and occasional sudden flailing and frantic checking of clothes.  The disorder is frequently accompanied by the delusional feeling of tiny tick-y footsteps.

Eeek!

Happy Spring, everyone!

love, Jess and Sandeep, and Molly the research assistant

7 comments:

  1. Mites can be just as bad....and they come in the hundreds! Luckily, they don't suck human blood....


    But, yes, I too suffer from Tickodermaphobia. The treatment? Hide in a bathtub full of boiling water. Flush yourself down the toilet. ANYTHING to get rid of those tiny marching feet!!!!!!


    ~Hannahoot and the various ticks that are SURELY watching my every move...

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  2. My own case of tickodermaphobia became worse after I washed clothes we had worn to work outside, found a live (but presumably very clean) tick crawling on a pair of pants as I Hung them on the clothesline, then came indoors and found another on the washing machine. *shudder* They're waterproof!
    Love, Jess - trying not to wriggle as I type!

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  3. I suffer, I suffer! Yes! I am a tickodermaphobic! I may EVEN be hypertickodermaphobic!~Ali

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  4. Hypertickodermaphobication--the new SupercalifragelisTICK...

    ~HH

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  5. With this family Sandeep can be the nations leading hypertickadermaphobicologist.

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  6. I also suffer from the Heebie-Jeebies, especially when reading about water-proof ticks...can Sandeep treat that as well?~Ali

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  7. Not very successfully - I'm afraid he suffers from it as well, and no cure has been found yet. But I like his new title - hee hee!
    J

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