The Diagnostic Spectrum of Sexual Hallucinations.
Harvard Review of Psychiatry Jan Dirk Blom, Rosemarij J B Van Veen, Emma H C Van Rooijen et al.
Sexual hallucinations—often distressing genital, orgasmic, or other sensory experiences—are more common in women than men (sex ratio 1.4:1) and most prevalent in schizophrenia spectrum disorders, with rates from 1.4% in recently admitted patients to 44% in chronically hospitalized patients. Other causes include epilepsy, sleep paralysis (incubus phenomenon), narcolepsy, and sedative use. In anesthesia, some reported sexual sensations are not hallucinations but real medicolegal events. No evidence-based treatment protocols exist; guidelines focus on the underlying condition. More research is needed on substance abuse, PTSD, and borderline personality disorder, and clinician awareness should improve.