Hallucinogenic drug induced states resemble acute endogenous psychoses: results of an empirical study.
European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists December 1, 1998 E Gouzoulis-Mayfrank, E Habermeyer, L Hermle et al.
People with endogenous psychoses (e.g., schizophrenia) often experience altered states of consciousness that resemble those induced by hallucinogenic drugs. In a study of 93 patients shortly after an acute psychotic episode, 50 healthy controls, and 7 patients with drug-induced psychosis, standardized questionnaires revealed that psychotic patients scored significantly higher than controls on measures of altered states. Over half of the endogenous patients endorsed 26% of items on one scale and 43% on another. Scores related to oceanic boundlessness (a pleasant, ego-dissolving experience) correlated with thought disturbance. The findings suggest that hallucinogen-like experiences, including pleasant ones, are common in acute psychosis and may be clinically overlooked.