Psychotic-like experiences and their cognitive appraisal under short-term sensory deprivation
Frontiers in Psychiatry September 16, 2014 Christina eDaniel, Anna eLovatt, Oliver John Mason
Brief sensory deprivation induces psychotic-like experiences more frequently in people prone to hallucinations, but also in those who are not. In a study comparing 18 high-hallucination-prone and 18 low-prone participants, both groups reported more perceptual distortions and anhedonia in a secluded office, with further increases during light-and-sound deprivation. Highly prone individuals showed a significantly greater rise in perceptual distortions, suggesting a state-trait interaction. Their appraisals of these experiences resembled those of non-clinical individuals but lacked the general positivity typical of non-clinical groups. Short-term sensory deprivation offers a safe, non-pharmacological model for temporarily inducing psychotic-like states.