Examining each scenario would give sufferers, doctors, researchers, and observers an idea of the likelihood of each cause, but one can never be certain overall. The two most common “cause theories” of Morgellons are as follows:

The Other Illness In this scenario, the person suffering from Morgellons is actually not suffering from Morgellons at all. Because the symptoms can mimic so many other illnesses, it is believed that Morgellons is not a disease at all but rather a conglomeration of known illnesses. Many people are diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), attention deficit disorder (ADD), depression, bipolar disorder, and many other mind-related illnesses when presenting the symptoms of Morgellons. However, not all symptoms of these illnesses fit what patients often complain of, and not all of the treatments that doctors use for “Morgellons” work for all patients. A problem with this scenario: even with treatments for what doctors believe is causing the patient’s symptoms, discontinuing the drug causes the symptoms to return and become progressively worse instead of curing them.

Pros: If this is the true cause of Morgellons, then it is not a disease and can be treated somewhat easily in most cases as allergic reactions, bacterial infections, delusional parasitosis, or a host of mentally related sources. Case solved, Morgellons is packed with alien births and CIA-contaminated water.

Cons: If this is not the cause of Morgellons, then doctors have been ignoring a very big problem that is worldwide right now. The world would then be faced with the over three thousand members of the MRF (Morgellons Research Foundation) that would most definitely be saying, “I told you so.”

Aliens and Other Conspiracy Theories

Some believe that something sinister is causing Morgellons. A former biologist first coined the term “Morgellons” for this illness, resulting from a description of symptoms in the 17th century among children by Sir Thomas Browne in which he labeled the children “the Morgellons“. The biologists’ son was suffering from the lesions and protruding fibers common among Morgellons patients, and the resulting findings were largely dismissed by doctors, who instead claimed that the mother was suffering from Munchausen’s syndrome (a mental problem that causes a person to hurt themselves or others in an attempt to get medical attention) herself. She believes that some bacteria may be causing the problem, and founded the MRF. Morgellons patients admit that aliens are an unlikely cause of their disease, but have not ruled out the possibility. Many websites offer pictures that serve as “proof” that the fibers and granules found in the lesions and rashes found on patients’ bodies are actually an attempt at alien invasion. Subscribers to this theory hypothesize that the fibers are communication modules, or some attempt at global positioning (an alien GPS) for otherworldly beings. While these patients are rare, the theory has become more widespread with its introduction to the Internet and the mass hysteria that can result from it.

Other theorists buy in to the theory that the government is allowing bio-terrorism to be conducted on United States soil, and many claim that members of the CIA (or similar organizations) are the perpetrators. They believe that it may very well be their water that is contaminated, and that their bodies were thusly introduced to the poison that is causing the problem.

Still others claim that food is the cause of the problem. They believe that either environmental issues or pesticides are poisoning the food that we eat, and that the bacteria introduced to the body is adhering itself to their very DNA.

Pros: It is hard to find a pro to this theory, but one may be that at least if any of these were true then Morgellons patients would know what happened and therefore be more able to find a treatment, and ultimately a cure.

Cons: Along these same lines, how would you like to find out that the government infected you, aliens invaded you, or you have been poisoned due to the negligence of yet another food company?

The true cause(s) of Morgellons may never be found. The disease is not even technically a recognized disease yet, according to the FDA, AMA, or Centers for Disease Control (CDC). On the other hand, in July 2007, a study was begun that will attempt to find out whether