Floccillation vs. Carphologia — What's the Difference?

(rare) Picking at the bedclothes, usually seen in delirious, feverish or dying people.

Picking at bedding and clothing, or at the lips, or of perceived invisible objects

A delirious picking of bedclothes by a sick person, as if to pick off flocks of wool; carphology; - an alarming symptom in acute diseases.

Carphologia (or carphology) is a lint-picking behavior that is often a symptom of a delirious state. Often seen in delirious or semiconscious patients, carphologia describes the actions of picking or grasping at imaginary objects, as well as the patient's own clothes or bed linens.