Auditory, Visual, Tactile, Olfactory, and Bodily Hallucinations in Patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Abstract

Although much attention has been paid to patients who lack insight into their obsessional beliefs, less importance has been given to individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) who display perceptual disturbances typically found in psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorders, or mood disorders with psychotic features. We would like to call the attention to a phenomenon that has been neglected in the psychiatric literature: the occurrence of hallucinations and related phenomena in patients with OCD. In this case report, we describe five clinical vignettes of patients with OCD with hallucinations in several different sensory modalities, including the auditory, the visual, the tactile, the olfactory, and the cenesthetic ones. Further psychopathological research should clarify the clinical significance of hallucinations among patients with OCD.

Thought Problems from Adolescence to Adulthood: Measurement Invariance and Longitudinal Heritability

“…TP also includes items that cover symptoms that could be interpreted as OCD-symptoms as well as psychotic symptoms (items 84, 85, 40, 70). Besides being a classical schizophrenic symptom, hallucinations—covered by items 40 (=auditory hallucinations) and 70 (=visual hallucinations)—are not uncommon in OCD-patients (Hermesh et al 2004; Fontenelle et al 2008). Studies have linked intrusive cognitions—such as hallucinations and obsessions—with inhibitory dysregulation in the brain, which both schizophrenic and OCD patients suffer from (Badcock et al 2005, 2007; Walters et al 2003).…”

Olfactory Reference Syndrome as a Subtype of Body Dysmorphic Disorder

“…Therefore, it is sometimes unclear whether an individual complaining of an "imagined odor" has a hallucinatory or delusional disorder or, in fact, an obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorder. [4][5][6] In this report, our goal was to contribute to the literature by providing a "snapshot" of a number of cases of ORS under treatment in several Brazilian university centers, all systematically evaluated with an assessment package specifically designed to capture the diverse psychopathology and personal history of ORS patients.…”

History and Conceptual Problems of the Relationship Between Obsessions and Hallucinations

“…1 Additionally, the schizoobsessive patients had substantially worse outcomes in multiple domains (social relations, employment, psychopathology, and global functioning) than their SCZ counterparts. 14 Several studies have described obsessive ideas turning into delusions or being so vivid that they are easily confused with pseudohallucinations or with true hallucinations. 1,28,50 This seminal study stimulated further research to assess the prevalence of OC symptoms in SCZ and to evaluate their clinical significance.…”

“…The former change generated a large number of comorbidity studies, which reflected an increased awareness of the co-occurrence of many syndromes with SCZ, 36 and the latter allowed the diagnosis of co-occurring SCZ and OCD. 14 Insel and Akiskal 13 had already described a transition from obsession into delusion when a loss of resistance and insight occurred in presence of an affective disturbance. 1,28,36 The term schizoobsessive was suggested in 1997 as a means of describing SCZ patients with clinically significant OC symptoms.…”

“…14 The aim of this article is to analyze the complex interconnections between obsessions and hallucinations, based on the available literature. 14 The aim of this article is to analyze the complex interconnections between obsessions and hallucinations, based on the available literature.…”