Délire de fellation et hallucinations cénesthésiques multimodales dans la schizophrénie : au-delà de l’incubus
Emmanuel Stip, Thomas Chamard-Bergeron, David Caron, Alexandre Kilburg, Tu-Khue Nguyen, Saolie Dubois
Santé mentale au Québec 2026 DOI: 10.7202/1125476ar (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 51-year-old woman with a psychotic disorder and multimodal hallucinations |
| Key findings | Argues that sexual hallucinations such as "forced oral sexual acts" have no separate diagnostic category in DSM-5-TR or ICD-11 and are better classified as a rare, severe subtype of sexual or somatic hallucinations within psychotic disorders, most often schizophrenia spectrum disorders, distinct from the incubus phenomenon. Care required integrated treatment of psychosis plus ethical, relational, and gender-sensitive attention to the patient's distress and mistrust. |
Abstract
Background: Hallucinations with sexual content, particularly cenesthetic and oral hallucinations, are rarely reported in the psychiatric literature despite their significant potential for distress and impact on therapeutic engagement. Case presentation We describe a 51-year-old woman presenting with a complex psychotic picture, including cenesthetic hallucinations experienced as "forced oral sexual acts," associated with multimodal hallucinations (gustatory, visual, auditory, and olfactory) and marked mistrust toward healthcare providers. Differential diagnosis A review of the literature using MEDLINE and Google Scholar found no recognized autonomous nosographic entity corresponding to a "fellatio delusion," and neither the DSM-5-TR nor the ICD-11 describes a syndrome specifically centered on this content. Sexual-themed delusions in psychotic disorders are categorized by their general content rather than by specific sexual acts such as fellation. These manifestations are better conceptualized as a rare and severe subtype of sexual or somatic hallucinations within established psychotic disorders, most commonly schizophrenia spectrum disorders, and must be differentiated from the incubus phenomenon, a parasomnia occurring during sleep paralysis. Treatment Management required an integrated and adaptive therapeutic approach addressing psychotic symptoms, patient distress, and relational challenges within the clinical team. Outcome and follow-up Clinical follow-up highlighted the importance of tailoring care to ethical, relational, and gender-sensitive considerations in the therapeutic setting.
Discussion: This case underscores the need for careful phenomenological assessment, accurate differential diagnosis, and ethically informed clinical adaptation when managing rare and distressing sexual hallucinations in psychotic disorders.
Citations in the library
Cites 8
- Sexual Hallucinations in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders and Their Relation With Childhood Trauma Frontiers in Psychiatry May 9, 2018
- Sexual hallucinations and delusions in borderline personality disorder Frontiers in Psychiatry February 25, 2026
- A case of incubus phenomenon European Psychiatry November 17, 2023
- The devil molested me: A case series of incubus syndrome from North India. Industrial Psychiatry Journal July 1, 2022
- The incubus phenomenon: Prevalence, frequency and risk factors in psychiatric inpatients and university undergraduates. Frontiers in Psychiatry 2022
and 3 more in the library