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Verbal auditory hallucinations: mind, self, and society.
The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
|January 1, 1977
Summary
Schizophrenia patients often hear multiple, unrecognized, and accusatory voices. These verbal auditory hallucinations may stem from societal disparagement linked to low socioeconomic status and achievement.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Clinical Psychology
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Verbal auditory hallucinations (VAHs) are a core symptom of schizophrenia.
- These hallucinations are often experienced as external, uncontrollable, and anonymous.
- Previous research suggests a link between VAHs and social experiences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the characteristics of VAHs in schizophrenia patients.
- To explore the relationship between VAHs and patients' socioeconomic status and societal perceptions.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative analysis of patient-reported VAH characteristics.
- Correlation of hallucination content with socioeconomic factors.
Main Results:
- VAHs are typically perceived as multiple, anonymous voices, often in the second or third person.
- Hallucinations are predominantly disparaging and accusatory.
- A strong association exists between VAHs and the patient's sense of societal disparagement due to low socioeconomic status.
Conclusions:
- The characteristics of VAHs in schizophrenia reflect a generalization of social experiences and societal self-evaluation.
- Disparaging and accusatory VAHs may be linked to the social stigma associated with low socioeconomic status and achievement in schizophrenia patients.