Hallucinations Under Psychedelics and in the Schizophrenia Spectrum: An Interdisciplinary and Multiscale Comparison
Schizophrenia Bulletin – August 05, 2020
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
A recent renaissance in psychedelics and drug studies highlights striking similarity between hallucinogen-induced experiences and those in the schizophrenia spectrum. A multidisciplinary approach, involving clinical psychology and psychiatry, reviewed evidence across scales—from neurotransmitter receptor influence on behavior and biochemical analysis to phenomenology and anthropology. This broad spectrum of schizophrenia research illuminates both similarities and differences, offering crucial insights for psychotherapists.
Abstract
Abstract The recent renaissance of psychedelic science has reignited interest in the similarity of drug-induced experiences to those more commonly observed in psychiatric contexts such as the schizophrenia-spectrum. This report from a multidisciplinary working group of the International Consortium on Hallucinations Research (ICHR) addresses this issue, putting special emphasis on hallucinatory experiences. We review evidence collected at different scales of understanding, from pharmacology to brain-imaging, phenomenology and anthropology, highlighting similarities and differences between hallucinations under psychedelics and in the schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. Finally, we attempt to integrate these findings using computational approaches and conclude with recommendations for future research.