Prevalence and nature of multi-sensory and multi-modal hallucinations in people with first episode psychosis

TY - JOUR

T1 - Prevalence and nature of multi-sensory and multi-modal hallucinations in people with first episode psychosis

AU - Dudley, Robert

AU - Watson, Florence

AU - O'Grady, Lucy

AU - Aynsworth, Charlotte

AU - Dodgson, Guy

AU - Common, Stephanie

AU - Day, Ben Alderson

AU - Fernyhough, Charles

N1 - Funding Information: This study/project is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) under its Research for Patient Benefit Programme (grant reference number NIHR201078). The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care. © 2022 The Authors

PY - 2023/1/1

Y1 - 2023/1/1

N2 - Hallucinations can occur in single or multiple sensory modalities. This study explored how common these experiences were in people with first episode of psychosis (n = 82). Particular attention was paid to the number of modalities reported and whether the experiences were seen to be linked temporally and thematically. It was predicted that those people reporting a greater number of hallucinations would report more delusional ideation, greater levels of distress generally and lower functioning. All participants reported hallucinations in the auditory domain, given the nature of the recruitment. The participants also reported a range of other unusual sensory experiences, with visual and tactile hallucinations being reported by over half. Moreover, single sensory experiences or unimodal hallucinations were less common than two or more hallucination modalities which was reported by 78% of the participants. The number of hallucinations was significantly associated with greater delusional ideation and higher levels of general distress, but not with reduced functioning. It is clear there is a need to refine psychological treatments so that they are better matched to the actual experiences reported by people with psychosis. Theoretical implications are also considered.

AB - Hallucinations can occur in single or multiple sensory modalities. This study explored how common these experiences were in people with first episode of psychosis (n = 82). Particular attention was paid to the number of modalities reported and whether the experiences were seen to be linked temporally and thematically. It was predicted that those people reporting a greater number of hallucinations would report more delusional ideation, greater levels of distress generally and lower functioning. All participants reported hallucinations in the auditory domain, given the nature of the recruitment. The participants also reported a range of other unusual sensory experiences, with visual and tactile hallucinations being reported by over half. Moreover, single sensory experiences or unimodal hallucinations were less common than two or more hallucination modalities which was reported by 78% of the participants. The number of hallucinations was significantly associated with greater delusional ideation and higher levels of general distress, but not with reduced functioning. It is clear there is a need to refine psychological treatments so that they are better matched to the actual experiences reported by people with psychosis. Theoretical implications are also considered.

KW - Auditory

KW - Hallucinations

KW - Psychosis

KW - Visions

KW - Visual

KW - Voices

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85143116693&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.psychres.2022.114988

DO - 10.1016/j.psychres.2022.114988

M3 - Article

C2 - 36463721

AN - SCOPUS:85143116693

SN - 0165-1781

VL - 319

JO - Psychiatry research

JF - Psychiatry research

M1 - 114988

ER -