Compulsions Developing into Command Hallucinations
Frances Klemperer
Psychopathology February 10, 2010 DOI: 10.1159/000285001 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | A person with obsessive-compulsive disorder who developed command hallucinations |
| Key findings | Argues that long-standing compulsions and resistance can temporarily take on the characteristics of command hallucinations in the absence of other psychotic symptoms, suggesting a continuum between obsessions and hallucinations. |
Abstract
Intrusive, uncontrollable and bizarre thoughts occur in both obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and psychosis. The origin of these mental phenomena and the relationship between them is unclear. A case is described in which long-standing compulsions and the associated resistance temporarily developed the characteristics of command hallucinations, in the absence of any other psychotic symptoms. The implications for psychopathological theories of hallucinations are discussed.