Living with an imagined odor: first case report of olfactory reference syndrome in East Africa treated using a multimodal approach.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Olfactory reference syndrome is a psychiatric disorder characterized by a persistent and distressing preoccupation with emitting a foul body odor despite the absence of objective evidence. It is classified under "other specified obsessive-compulsive and related disorders" in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision. Although olfactory reference syndrome has been described in several regions globally, there are no published case reports from East Africa.

Case presentation

A 50-year-old Ethiopian man was referred from the otorhinolaryngology department to psychiatry with 3 years history of preoccupation that his nose emits a foul odor, described as "like a dead mouse." Despite repeated reassurance and medical evaluation

SUBMITTER: Tilinty HM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12924369 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature