A Comprehensive Review of Auditory Verbal Hallucinations: Lifetime Prevalence, Correlates and Mechanisms in Healthy and Clinical Individuals

Over the years, the prevalence of auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) has been documented across the lifespan in varied contexts, and with a range of potential long-term outcomes. Initially the emphasis focused on whether AVHs conferred risk for psychosis. However, recent research has identified si...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Saskia ede Leede-Smith, Emma eBarkus
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2013-07-01
Series:Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
Subjects:
Online Access:http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnhum.2013.00367/full
_version_ 1818510601401401344
author Saskia ede Leede-Smith
Emma eBarkus
author_facet Saskia ede Leede-Smith
Emma eBarkus
author_sort Saskia ede Leede-Smith
collection DOAJ
description Over the years, the prevalence of auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) has been documented across the lifespan in varied contexts, and with a range of potential long-term outcomes. Initially the emphasis focused on whether AVHs conferred risk for psychosis. However, recent research has identified significant differences in the presentation and outcomes of AVH in patients compared to those in non-clinical populations. For this reason, it has been suggested that auditory hallucinations are an entity by themselves and not necessarily indicative of transition along the psychosis continuum. This review will examine the presentation of auditory hallucinations across the life span. The stages described include childhood, adolescence, adult non-clinical populations, hypnaogogic/hypnopompic experiences, high schizotypal traits, schizophrenia, substance induced AVH, AVH in epilepsy and AVH in the elderly. In children, need for care depends upon whether the child associates the voice with negative beliefs, appraisals and other symptoms of psychosis. This theme appears to carry right through to healthy voice hearers in adulthood, in which a negative impact of the voice usually only exists if the individual has negative experiences as a result of their voice(s). This includes features of the voices such as the negative content, frequency and emotional valence as well as anxiety and depression, independently or caused by voices presence. It seems possible that the mechanisms which maintain AVH in non-clinical populations are different from those which are behind AVH presentations in psychotic illness. For example; the existence of maladaptive coping strategies in patient populations is one significant difference between clinical and non-clinical groups which is associated with a need for care. Whether or not these mechanisms start out the same and have differential trajectories is not yet evidenced. Future research needs to focus on the comparison of underlying factors and mechan
first_indexed 2024-12-10T23:22:08Z
format Article
id doaj.art-7d5abf9250fe472db30f8bd55bff00c5
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 1662-5161
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-10T23:22:08Z
publishDate 2013-07-01
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
record_format Article
series Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
spelling doaj.art-7d5abf9250fe472db30f8bd55bff00c52022-12-22T01:29:41ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Human Neuroscience1662-51612013-07-01710.3389/fnhum.2013.0036748171A Comprehensive Review of Auditory Verbal Hallucinations: Lifetime Prevalence, Correlates and Mechanisms in Healthy and Clinical IndividualsSaskia ede Leede-Smith0Emma eBarkus1University of WollongongUniversity of WollongongOver the years, the prevalence of auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) has been documented across the lifespan in varied contexts, and with a range of potential long-term outcomes. Initially the emphasis focused on whether AVHs conferred risk for psychosis. However, recent research has identified significant differences in the presentation and outcomes of AVH in patients compared to those in non-clinical populations. For this reason, it has been suggested that auditory hallucinations are an entity by themselves and not necessarily indicative of transition along the psychosis continuum. This review will examine the presentation of auditory hallucinations across the life span. The stages described include childhood, adolescence, adult non-clinical populations, hypnaogogic/hypnopompic experiences, high schizotypal traits, schizophrenia, substance induced AVH, AVH in epilepsy and AVH in the elderly. In children, need for care depends upon whether the child associates the voice with negative beliefs, appraisals and other symptoms of psychosis. This theme appears to carry right through to healthy voice hearers in adulthood, in which a negative impact of the voice usually only exists if the individual has negative experiences as a result of their voice(s). This includes features of the voices such as the negative content, frequency and emotional valence as well as anxiety and depression, independently or caused by voices presence. It seems possible that the mechanisms which maintain AVH in non-clinical populations are different from those which are behind AVH presentations in psychotic illness. For example; the existence of maladaptive coping strategies in patient populations is one significant difference between clinical and non-clinical groups which is associated with a need for care. Whether or not these mechanisms start out the same and have differential trajectories is not yet evidenced. Future research needs to focus on the comparison of underlying factors and mechanhttp://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnhum.2013.00367/fullHallucinationsSchizophreniapsychosisChildauditory hallucinationsschizotypy
spellingShingle Saskia ede Leede-Smith
Emma eBarkus
A Comprehensive Review of Auditory Verbal Hallucinations: Lifetime Prevalence, Correlates and Mechanisms in Healthy and Clinical Individuals
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
Hallucinations
Schizophrenia
psychosis
Child
auditory hallucinations
schizotypy
title A Comprehensive Review of Auditory Verbal Hallucinations: Lifetime Prevalence, Correlates and Mechanisms in Healthy and Clinical Individuals
title_full A Comprehensive Review of Auditory Verbal Hallucinations: Lifetime Prevalence, Correlates and Mechanisms in Healthy and Clinical Individuals
title_fullStr A Comprehensive Review of Auditory Verbal Hallucinations: Lifetime Prevalence, Correlates and Mechanisms in Healthy and Clinical Individuals
title_full_unstemmed A Comprehensive Review of Auditory Verbal Hallucinations: Lifetime Prevalence, Correlates and Mechanisms in Healthy and Clinical Individuals
title_short A Comprehensive Review of Auditory Verbal Hallucinations: Lifetime Prevalence, Correlates and Mechanisms in Healthy and Clinical Individuals
title_sort comprehensive review of auditory verbal hallucinations lifetime prevalence correlates and mechanisms in healthy and clinical individuals
topic Hallucinations
Schizophrenia
psychosis
Child
auditory hallucinations
schizotypy
url http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnhum.2013.00367/full
work_keys_str_mv AT saskiaedeleedesmith acomprehensivereviewofauditoryverbalhallucinationslifetimeprevalencecorrelatesandmechanismsinhealthyandclinicalindividuals
AT emmaebarkus acomprehensivereviewofauditoryverbalhallucinationslifetimeprevalencecorrelatesandmechanismsinhealthyandclinicalindividuals
AT saskiaedeleedesmith comprehensivereviewofauditoryverbalhallucinationslifetimeprevalencecorrelatesandmechanismsinhealthyandclinicalindividuals
AT emmaebarkus comprehensivereviewofauditoryverbalhallucinationslifetimeprevalencecorrelatesandmechanismsinhealthyandclinicalindividuals