Occurrence and phenomenology of hallucinations in the general population: A large online survey
Mascha M.J. Linszen, Janna De Boer, Maya Schutte, Marieke Begemann, Jacqueline de Vries, Sanne Koops, Renske E. Blom, Marc M. Bohlken, Sophie M. Heringa, Jan Dirk Blom, Iris E C Sommer
Schizophrenia April 23, 2022 DOI: 10.1038/s41537-022-00229-9 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 10,448 |
| Population | General population aged 14-88 years |
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Visual hallucination Phenomenology philosophy Population Distress Auditory hallucination Psychosis Schizotypy Modalities Clinical psychology |
| Citations | 55 |
| Key findings | Auditory hallucinations were the most common sensory modality (29.5%), and nearly half of participants reported hallucinations in two or more modalities, with substantial proportions experiencing severe negative content, distress, and dysfunction. |
Abstract
Although epidemiological studies report that hallucinations occur in 6-15% of the general population, little is known about their phenomenology. To overcome this paucity, this study investigates the phenomenological characteristics of hallucinations in the general population, by using a nationally promoted online survey to assess hallucination phenomenology in four sensory modalities, through a self-report version of the Questionnaire for Psychotic Experiences (QPE), in 10,448 participants (aged 14-88 years). The phenomenology of hallucinations was assessed if hallucinations reportedly occurred in the past month. In the past month, auditory hallucinations were reported most frequently (29.5%), followed by visual (21.5%), tactile (19.9%), and olfactory hallucinations (17.3%); hallucinations in two or more modalities were reported by 47.6%. Substantial numbers of participants rated their hallucinations as severe, due to negative content (16.0-31.6%), previous bothersome experiences (14.8-20.2%), ensuing distress (10.5-16.8%), and/or ensuing disfunctioning (12.7-17.3%). Decreased insight was found in 10.2-11.4%. Hypnagogia was reported by 9.0-10.6%, and bereavement hallucinations by 2.8%. Despite a low prevalence of delusions (7.0%), these phenomena were significantly associated with recent hallucinations, observed in up to 13.4% of the participants with hallucinations during the past week (p < 0.001). Our results indicate a wide variety of the phenomenology of hallucinations in the general population and support the existence of a phenomenological continuum.