Beliefs about hearing voices.
Michael H Connors, Serje Robidoux, Robyn Langdon, Max Coltheart
Consciousness and Cognition July 2016 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2016.05.001 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 35 |
| Population | Patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who experience auditory verbal hallucinations |
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Auditory verbal hallucination Belief Delusion Insight Psychosis |
| Key findings | Among 35 patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who hear voices, 20 (57.1%) believed their voices were self-generated, 9 (25.7%) were uncertain, and 6 (17.1%) attributed them to external agents. Analyses found little or no evidence that voice intensity or phenomenology was associated with these beliefs, with the evidence favoring the absence of such associations. The authors argue that beliefs about the cause of auditory verbal hallucinations are unlikely to be explained solely by the phenomenological qualities of the voices. |
Abstract
People who experience auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) vary in whether they believe their AVHs are self-generated or caused by external agents. It remains unclear whether these differences are influenced by the "intensity" of the voices, such as their frequency or volume, or other aspects of their phenomenology. We examined 35 patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who experienced AVHs. Patients completed a detailed structured interview about their AVHs, including beliefs about their cause. In response, 20 (57.1%) reported that their AVHs were self-generated, 9 (25.7%) were uncertain, and 6 (17.1%) reported that their AVHs were caused by external agents. Several analytical approaches revealed little or no evidence for associations between either AVH intensity or phenomenology and beliefs about the AVH's cause; the evidence instead favoured the absence of these associations. Beliefs about the cause of AVHs are thus unlikely to be explained solely by the phenomenological qualities of the AVHs.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on philosophy of mind, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The phenomenology of near-death experiences Subjects who reported near-death experiences | 1980 | Retrospective study | n = 78 |
| Visual Phenomenology of the LSD Flashback Persons with a history of LSD use | 1983 | Observational cohort | n = 123 |
| The neurophenomenology of neutral hypnosis. Individuals of high, medium, and low hypnotizability | 2013 | Observational cohort | n = 37 |
| The Phenomenology of Acute Organic Psychosis Patients with acute organic psychosis and acute schizophrenics | 1987 | Observational cohort | n = 148 |
| EEG oscillatory states as neuro-phenomenology of consciousness as revealed from patients in vegetative and minimally conscious states. Brain-damaged patients with disorders of consciousness and healthy-conscious subjects | 2012 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cites 3
- A new phenomenological survey of auditory hallucinations: evidence for subtypes and implications for theory and practice. Schizophrenia Bulletin January 2014
- The cognitive neuropsychiatry of delusional belief. Wiley interdisciplinary reviews. Cognitive science September 2011
- Auditory hallucinations, source monitoring, and the belief that "voices" are real. Schizophrenia Bulletin 2003