Visual and Auditory Verbal Hallucinations in Schizophrenia and Their Relation to Self-Disorders.
Psychopathology January 1, 2026 Bettina Magnolia Löfs, Andreas Rosén Rasmussen 1 citation
Most people with schizophrenia who hear or see things that others do not describe these experiences as being like ordinary perception, and they often occur alongside a disturbed sense of self. In interviews with twenty patients, auditory and visual hallucinations were linked to alterations in the structure of sensory experience, such as changes in spatiality, and were felt to be private rather than publicly accessible. Compared to a control group, those with hallucinations had higher levels of basic self-disorders, earlier onset of mental health problems, and lower IQ. The findings suggest that hallucinations in schizophrenia may stem from a fundamental disturbance in the sense of self, and that visual hallucinations may also be related to this disturbance.