Ekbom syndrome (delusional parasitosis) is a psychiatric condition where individuals hold fixed, false beliefs about infestation by parasites, insects, or organisms in or on their skin, despite no medical evidence. Your brain's sensory integration team and reality-testing crew malfunction: tactile hallucinations (formication—feeling of insects crawling) arise from dysregulated sensory processing in your somatosensory cortex, while your prefrontal cortex's critical reasoning team fails to correct these false perceptions. Dopamine pathway dysregulation may underlie both the sensory misperceptions and the fixed delusional beliefs. Secondary forms occur with stimulant use, neurological conditions, or vitamin deficiencies. The team metaphor helps because Ekbom syndrome isn't poor hygiene or actual infestation—it's your brain's sensory perception and belief-testing teams providing inaccurate information. Your somatosensory processing crew generates false tactile signals, your visual pattern-recognition team may misinterpret skin debris as organisms, and your prefrontal reality-checking crew can't override these perceptions with contradictory evidence. When treated with antipsychotics (typically pimozide or risperidone), you're helping recalibrate your dopamine signaling pathways and sensory processing. Therapeutic relationships that validate distress while gently supporting reality-testing help your cognitive teams. Understanding this as a treatable neuropsychiatric condition (not character flaw or uncleanliness) reduces stigma and supports treatment engagement. ⚕️ This protocol does not replace professional consultation.