Auditory hallucinations and PTSD in ex-POWS

Abstract

Literature has suggested that auditory hallucinations might be prevalent in the general population and could be linked to the experience of trauma. This prospective study examines the prevalence of auditory hallucinations in trauma survivors and its association with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, over time. Former prisoners of war (ex-POWs) from the 1973 Yom Kippur War (n = 99) with and without PTSD and comparable veterans (n = 103) were assessed twice, in 1991 (T1) and 2003 (T2) in regard to auditory hallucinations and PTSD symptoms. Findings indicated that ex-POWs who suffered from PTSD reported higher levels of auditory hallucinations at T2 as well as increased hallucinations over time, compared to ex-POWs without PTSD and combatants who did not endure captivity. The relation between PTSD and auditory hallucinations was unidirectional, so that the PTSD overall score at T1 predicted an increase in auditory hallucinations between T1 and T2, but not vice versa. Assessing the role of PTSD clusters in predicting hallucinations revealed that intrusion symptoms had a unique contribution, compared to avoidance and hyperarousal symptoms. The findings suggest that auditory hallucinations might be a consequence of the posttraumatic reaction among veterans.

Phenomenology and epidemiology of verbal auditory hallucinations and theories explaining their formation

“…(2018) odnotowali halucynacje słuchowe jedynie u 5% ofiar przemocy fizycznej lub nadużyć seksualnych, u których rozpoznano przewlekłe PTSD (N = 40). Nie jest jasne, z czego wynikają tak duże rozbieżności, jednak literatura wskazuje na istotne różnice między weteranami a byłymi więźniami wojennymi i osobami z traumą relacyjną (Crompton et al, 2017). Jednym z powodów może być bardziej rygorystyczne w niektórych badaniach odróżnianie doświadczenia głosów od "strumienia myśli" (Clifford et al, 2018).…”

Rhematization as Etiology in the Diagnosis of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

“…Paralleling Foucault's (1978) It is helpful here to consider other instances of perceiving images or sensations that others do not perceive: hallucinations, particularly those associated with psychosis. Before posttraumatic stress disorder was an available diagnosis, many veterans were labelled schizophrenic partially on the basis of hallucinatory experiences, which at times may even include the prototypically psychotic auditory verbal hallucinations (Crompton et al 2017;McCarthy-Jones & Longden 2015;Scott 1990;Young 1995). The DSM-5 outlines the need to differentiate between hallucinations and flashbacks, advising that "flashbacks are distinguished from these other perceptual disturbances [hallucinations] by being directly related to the traumatic experience and by occurring in the absence of other psychotic or substance-induced features" (APA 2013:286).…”

Is Shame Hallucinogenic?

“…As a result of this and other related findings, it has been argued that AVH should be considered a characteristic symptom of PTSD (McCarthy-Jones and Longden, 2015 ). AVH also share a number of common characteristics with the core PTSD symptom dimension of intrusions (Crompton et al, 2017 ). There is hence reason to suspect that mechanisms involved in the development of PTSD may also give us insights into the causes of AVH.…”