The Phenomenology of Visual and Other Nonauditory Hallucinations in Affective and Nonaffective Psychosis: A Mixed Methods Analysis.
Wei Lin Toh, Neil Thomas, Susan Lee Rossell
The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease April 1, 2024 DOI: 10.1097/nmd.0000000000001750 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Mixed methods study Qualitative Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 75 |
| Population | Adults with affective and nonaffective psychosis who experience voice-hearing and endorse visual, tactile, or olfactory hallucinations |
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key points | Visual hallucinations in psychosis are frequent, brief, and typically involve persons or animals with low controllability and negative affect; tactile and olfactory hallucinations are also common, and those with affective psychosis show greater awareness and less functional impairment than those with nonaffective psychosis. |
Abstract
Nonauditory hallucinations in psychosis have not received as much attention relative to voice-hearing experiences. The current paper aimed to document the characteristics of these hallucinations in affective and nonaffective psychosis. Participants were selected from a primary voice-hearing sample, who had endorsed visual, tactile, or olfactory hallucinations ( N = 55-75). A comprehensive, semistructured phenomenological interview was conducted, followed by mixed methods analysis. Visual hallucinations typically occurred daily, for a few minutes per episode, within one's direct line of sight; persons and/or animals were most commonly seen, with low controllability and mostly engendered negative affective outcomes. Tactile and olfactory hallucinations were endorsed by 46.8% and 39.0% of participants, respectively. The affective psychosis group ( n = 33) reported significantly greater awareness and lower functional impairment relative to the nonaffective psychosis group ( n = 42). Qualitative thematic analysis revealed notable themes and subthemes across each of these hallucinations modes. Further phenomenological investigations should be carried out in lesser known hallucination modalities, assisted by the development of appropriate assessment tools.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on philosophy of mind, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qualitative thematic analysis of the phenomenology of near-death experiences Cardiac arrest survivors | 2018 | Qualitative study | n = 34 |
| Phenomenology and Sequelae of 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine Use Psychiatrists who had taken MDMA | 1992 | Qualitative study | n = 20 |
| A phenomenology of meditation-induced light experiences: traditional buddhist and neurobiological perspectives American Buddhist practitioners | 2014 | Qualitative study | |
| Evoking the ineffable: The phenomenology of extreme sports. Extreme sports participants across three continents, including BASE jumping, big wave... | 2017 | Qualitative study | n = 15 |
| Phenomenology and content of the inhaled N, N-dimethyltryptamine (N, N-DMT) experience. Naturalistic inhaled N,N-DMT experiences posted to the r/DMT Reddit community | 2022 | Qualitative analysis | n = 3,778 |
Citations in the library
Cites 7
- On the phenomenology of auditory verbal hallucinations in affective and non-affective psychosis. Psychiatry Research June 4, 2020
- Intersections of phenomenology, voice beliefs and distress in bipolar disorder: a comparison with schizophrenia. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy 2024
- The phenomenology of auditory verbal hallucinations in bipolar disorder. Psychology and Psychotherapy Theory Research and Practice February 7, 2023
- Distinguishing multimodal versus multisensory hallucinations in psychosis: Key definitions and a way forward. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry May 2022
- Hallucinations: A Systematic Review of Points of Similarity and Difference Across Diagnostic Classes. Schizophrenia Bulletin November 21, 2016
and 2 more in the library