What is Morgellons disease? Unexplained skin condition forced 2022 Grammy Awards presenter Joni Mitchell to crawl on floor

Singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell will make a rare public appearance on Sunday, April 3, 2022 at this year's Grammy Awards. She was recently honored at the 2022 MusiCares Person of the Year benefit gala where she then took to the stage to sing her original song Big Yellow Taxi. It was one of the very few times she has performed in the past couple of years. The star has long suffered from a condition called Morgellons disease. In a 2010 interview with the Los Angeles Times, she address it publicly for the first time, calling it:

“This weird, incurable disease that seems like it’s from outer space."

In the 2014 book Joni Mitchell: In Her Own Words, she elaborated on the severity of her symptoms, saying:

"I couldn’t wear clothing. I couldn’t leave my house for several years. Sometimes it got so I’d have to crawl across the floor. My legs would cramp up, just like a polio spasm. It hit all of the places where I had polio.”

Mitchell has kept a low profile since she suffered a brain aneurysm in 2015 that temporarily left her unable to walk or speak. Her most notable appearance was when she was recognized during the 44th Kennedy Center Honors.

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What is Morgellons disease? Causes and symptoms explained

Morgellons disease is an uncommon and poorly comprehended condition characterized by small particles or "fibers" emerging out of the skin. People suffering from this condition report something crawling or stinging in their skin.

Some doctors diagnose the condition as psychological and treat it using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), antidepressants, antipsychotic drugs and counseling. Others think that the symptoms are due to some form of infection in the skin cells.

Common signs and symptoms include:

• Skin rashes or sores that can cause itchiness
• Crawling sensations under the skin, generally referred to by a person as something crawling, insects moving and biting, etc.
• Fibers, threads or black material in and on the skin
• Difficulty concentrating
• Fatigue
• Short-term memory loss
• Depressed mood

All of these symptoms have been shown to clearly impact a person's quality of life. A study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) took 115 people with Morgellons and concluded that the condition wasn't caused by infection or any form of parasites residing under the skin.

The study further went on to establish that the condition was a psychological one and most often seen in middle-aged white women. The symptoms are very similar to those of a mental illness involving delusions of a person being infested with parasites.

Some research studies have come up with a cause and effective treatment for Morgellons disease. However, there is still no proven guidance or treatment to cure it. Researchers and doctors have indicated the need for further study.

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At the 2022 Grammys, Joni Mitchell will be one of the presenters and along with being nominated for Best Historical Album, Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 1: The Early Years (1963-1967).

The 2022 Grammy Awards will air on Sunday, April 3, 2022 at 8.00 pm ET on CBS. The show will run for 3.5 hours with the biggest names in the global music industry celebrating various recognitions.

Viewers who do not have access to the cable network can watch it on live streaming platforms like Paramount Plus (the official streamer for the Grammys) and Hulu Live TV, YouTube TV, AT&T's DirectTV Stream and Fubo TV.