Les hallucinations verbales auditives et le diagnostic différentiel de schizophrénie et troubles dissociatifs

Mis à jour le 29 septembre 2022

Un article Les hallucinations verbales auditives et le diagnostic différentiel de schizophrénie et troubles dissociatifs : historique, empirique et perspectives cliniques, de Andrew Moskowitz,  Dolores Mosquera, et Eleanor Longden, publié dans l’European Journal of trauma et dissociation, en janvier 2017.
Article en anglais – téléchargeable au format pdf

Introduction –

Despite the long association between auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) or voice hearing and schizophrenia, recent research has demonstrated AVH’s presence in other disorders and in persons without a diagnosis, particularly amongst those with a history of traumatization. But are there differences in the type of voices between these populations?

Objective. –

To consider the status of the relationship between AVH and schizophrenia, in comparison to certain posttraumatic disorders, and the implications of this relationship both conceptually and clinically.

Method. –

The relationship between AVH and schizophrenia was reviewed from an historical and empirical perspective, in comparison to the posttraumatic or dissociative disorders, borderline personality disorder (BPD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and dissociative identity disorder (DID). The relationship between AVH in general and dissociation was also considered. A psychotherapeutic approach to working with voices from a dissociation perspective was presented, along with a clinical case.

Results. –

AVH in schizophrenia appear to be very similar to AVH in other disorders, with some apparent differences disappearing when the person’s attitude toward their voices changes. However, compared to BPD, PTSD, or DID, AVH in schizophrenia tend to be first experienced much later in life (adulthood as opposed to adolescence or even childhood), rarely include ‘child’ voices, and exert significantly less control over the person’s behavior.