Related Experiment Videos
Persistent auditory hallucinations and their relationship to delusions and mood
1Rehabilitation Services, Glenside Hospital, Eastwood, South Australia.
The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
|April 1, 1990
Summary
Patients with schizophrenia and auditory hallucinations used diaries to track symptoms. Findings suggest a link between distressing hallucinations and negative mood, indicating mood alteration as a potential treatment focus.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Clinical Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder characterized by persistent auditory hallucinations.
- Understanding the relationship between hallucinations, delusional beliefs, and mood is crucial for effective treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the feasibility of using patient diaries to research auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia.
- To explore the relationship between the characteristics of hallucinations, intensity of delusional beliefs, and patient mood.
Main Methods:
- Twelve patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and experiencing persistent auditory hallucinations participated.
- Patients completed daily diaries for 2-3 weeks, rating hallucination nature, intensity of delusional beliefs, mood, and clarity of thinking on 5-point scales.
Main Results:
- Patients successfully and consistently recorded their experiences using the diary method.
- A significant relationship was found for at least half the patients between hallucination intrusiveness/loudness and delusional belief intensity.
- More distressing hallucinations correlated with increased patient anxiety and depression.
Conclusions:
- The diary method is a promising approach for researching auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia.
- Altering patients' mood may be a valuable therapeutic strategy for managing persistent hallucinations.