[Perceptual disorders in a Turkish woman: hallucinations or pseudohallucinations?]

'Hallucinations' were diagnosed in a 41-year-old Turkish woman after the death of her father. The nature of hallucinations is often difficult to understand in patients of Turkish (or Moroccan) origin, as they can be diagnosed as a psychotic feature, or as a sign of dissociation, reexperiences, mourning, personality disorder or depression. Most of the time the symptoms can be regarded as culture-bound phenomena of psychosocial stress, often accompanied by somatoform complaints. In those cases they should be diagnosed as pseudohallucinations. Drug interventions only play a supportive role in the treatment of these symptoms. Joining the patients' explanatory model and exploring the psychological meaning of symptoms may be a rather difficult process which, however, may result in fewer symptoms in the end.