Hallucinatory Experiences, Delusional Thought Proneness, and Psychological Distress in a Nonclinical Population

Abstract

Despite evidence that the reporting of delusion-like or hallucinatory experiences are predictive of the future development of a mental disorder in the spectrum of psychosis, the exact nature of such a kind of unusual subjective experience in the general population is still disputed. We investigated the multidimensionality of these experiences with the Peters et al. Delusions Inventory (PDI) and a modified Italian version of the Launay-Slade Hallucination Scale (LSHS-R) in 250 subjects of both genders drawn from the normal population, using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) as a measure of psychic distress of a clinically relevant nature. We found that GHQ scores are positively related to both the PDI and the LSHS-R scores, but the GHQ did not act as a mediator in the links between the 2 psychosis-proneness measures. Conversely, the LSHS-R scores fully mediated the links between GHQ and PDI scores. It can be argued that hallucination proneness and psychosis proneness do not overlap in the nonclinical population but can both cause distress separately.

Combining two model systems of psychosis: The effects of schizotypy and sleep deprivation on oculomotor control and psychotomimetic states

“…In accordance with previous studies, schizotypes scored higher on psychotomimetic states, anxiety, depression, and stress than controls, consistent with previous research in schizotypy (Barrantes-Vidal et al, 2013;Barrantes-Vidal, Ros-Morente, & Kwapil, 2009;Preti, Bonventre, Ledda, Petretto, & Masala, 2007) and schizophrenia (Buckley, Miller, Lehrer, & Castle, 2009), overall supporting the idea of common underlying mechanisms and that schizophrenia mirrors the extreme end of the schizotypy continuum Nelson et al, 2013).…”

Psychological distress in medical patients seeking ED care for somatic reasons: results of a systematic literature review

“…However, there are also studies which assessed psychological distress in a broader sense. These studies measured the major symptoms of depression and anxiety, and include social dysfunction and psychosomatic symptoms 29 30. The different instruments that were used in the identified studies for this review detecting psychological distress in medical ED patients are summarised in table 1.…”

Psychotic experience subtypes, poor mental health status and help‐seeking behaviour in a community sample of young adults

“…5,12,14,20,44 Moreover, the aim of the current study was not to investigate the presence of a direct correlation between PEs and specific psychiatric disorders, but rather to outline a possible framework within which some specific PEs may be considered to have a higher 'specific weight' than others in terms of the evolution of the clinical pathway leading to severe mental illnesses such as psychotic disorders. 50,51 Finally, in terms of 'psychiatric diagnosis' we explored the 'mental health status' using the BDI-II, BAI and GHQ-12 scales, which have been validated and widely used for these purposes in numerous studies, 42,[52][53][54] and which is why we chose them as indicators of poor mental health.…”