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Visual and Auditory Verbal Hallucinations in Schizophrenia and Their Relation to Self-Disorders
Bettina Magnolia Löfs1, Andreas Rosén Rasmussen2,3,4
1Mental Health Center Amager, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Psychopathology
|November 4, 2025
Summary
Hallucinations in schizophrenia are not just perceptions but involve altered self-experience and are linked to self-disorders. Understanding this context is crucial for diagnosis and comprehending lived experiences.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Phenomenology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Current definitions of hallucinations overlook their experiential nature.
- This study investigates the lived experience of auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) and visual hallucinations (VHs) in schizophrenia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the phenomenology of AVHs and VHs.
- To explore the relationship between hallucinations and basic self-disorders in schizophrenia.
Main Methods:
- Phenomenologically oriented, semi-structured interviews with 20 schizophrenia patients.
- Comprehensive psychopathological assessment including the Examination of Anomalous Self-Experience (EASE).
Main Results:
- Hallucinations were distinct from perception, altering sensory experience.
- AVHs and VHs were linked to self-disorders and other psychopathology.
- Patients with hallucinations showed higher self-disorders, earlier onset, and lower IQ compared to controls.
Conclusions:
- AVHs in schizophrenia likely stem from altered subjectivity and basic self-disorders.
- A similar link between self-disorders and VHs warrants further investigation.
- Assessing hallucinations within broader psychopathology is vital for diagnosis and understanding subjective experience.
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