Atypical incubus syndrome

Varadharajan, Natarajan; Bascarane, Sharmi; Menon, Vikas

doi:10.4103/psychiatry.indianjpsychiatry_556_20

Cited by 3 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Many case reports and series have been published from the Indian subcontinent in almost all of these cases the patient has some form of psychosis. [ 6 7 10 ] Similar to these reports all our cases were females and two of them had schizophrenia while one had the delusional disorder.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

“…[ 6 ] A case report by Varadharajan 2021 et al mentions incubus syndrome in a case of Psychosis not otherwise specified (psychosis NOS). [ 7 ] While reviewing through the literature we also found that this syndrome has also been referred to as “phantom lover” syndrome. [ 8 ] Raschka[ 1 ] has reported this disorder as a variant of erotomania where the person has a belief that some known/unknown person is intensely in love with them.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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The devil molested me

Victor

Avinash

Rohatagi

et al. 2022

Industrial Psychiatry Journal

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Incubus syndrome is a disorder typically seen in females where she reports that a male demon lies upon her and engages in sexual activity with her. While the concept of incubus is typically based on Western folklore a limited number of case reports are present on this topic more from India. There is a diverse opinion among the authors related to this disorder where some link this to psychotic disorders while some to sleep disorders. Here we report a case series of females who were suffering from psychotic disorder and over time developed incubus syndrome. We also the role of cultural factors and superstition in the formation of these disorders and the role of antipsychotic medication and modified electroconvulsive therapy in its treatment.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

The devil molested me

Victor

Avinash

Rohatagi

et al. 2022

Industrial Psychiatry Journal

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“…The above-mentioned atypical case without sleep paralysis involved a woman who, every night, for four years in a row, sensed that she was having sexual intercourse with a young man lying on top of her. She was diagnosed with a psychotic disorder and treated successfully with olanzapine 57 . Physiologically, the incubus phenomenon is attributed to a dissociation of sleep phases that produces states of (apparent) wakefulness and intrusions of hallucinoid phenomena.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…She was diagnosed with a psychotic disorder and treated successfully with olanzapine. 57 Physiologically, the incubus phenomenon is attributed to a dissociation of sleep phases that produces states of (apparent) wakefulness and intrusions of hallucinoid phenomena. People undergoing this entity experience accordingly tend to be convinced that they are awake even though spectral EEG analyses indicate that their state of consciousness shows similarities to that in false awakening.…”

Section: A Relation Between Sexual Hallucinations and Epilepsy Has Be...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It has been suggested that the content of these phenomena may stem from prior sexual trauma, although this hypothesis has not been corroborated by empirical studies. 57 Thus, in a group of 31 people with sleep paralysis, only one participant linked her experiences to abuse memories. 59 Instead, an important role in the mediation of the incubus phenomenon is assigned to the limbic system with its function in selecting and elaborating dream plots.…”

Section: A Relation Between Sexual Hallucinations and Epilepsy Has Be...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Diagnostic Spectrum of Sexual Hallucinations

Blom,

van Veen,

van Rooijen

et al. 2024

Harv Rev Psychiatry

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Sexual hallucinations are little known, yet often extremely burdening, phenomena. In this systematic review, we summarize what is known about their phenomenology, prevalence, etiopathology, ensuing distress, and treatment options. Sexual hallucinations can be experienced as genital or orgasmic sensations, although other sensory modalities can also be involved. With the notable exception of orgasmic auras in the context of epilepsy, sexual hallucinations tend to be distressing and embarrassing in nature. Our analysis of 79 studies (together describing 390 patients) indicates that sexual hallucinations are more frequent in women than in men, with a sex ratio of 1.4:1, and that they are most prevalent in schizophrenia spectrum disorders, with rates ranging from 1.4% in recently admitted patients to 44% in chronically hospitalized patients. Other underlying conditions include epilepsy, the incubus phenomenon (possibly the most prevalent cause in the general population, associated with sleep paralysis), narcolepsy, and sedative use. As regards the sedative context, we found more medicolegal than purely medical cases, which sadly underlines that not all sexually explicit sensations experienced in anesthesia practice are indeed hallucinations. In the absence of evidence-based treatment protocols for sexual hallucinations, practice-based guidelines tend to focus on the underlying condition. Further research is needed, especially in the fields of substance abuse, posttraumatic stress disorder, and borderline personality disorder, where only anecdotal information on sexual hallucinations is available. Moreover, awareness of sexual hallucinations among health professionals needs to be improved in order to facilitate counseling, diagnosis, and treatment.

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