title: Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) and related psychotic phenomena in mood disorders: analysis of the 2010 Survey of High Impact Psychosis (SHIP) data.
abstract: Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) are known to occur in mood disorders, but there has been scant research in the area. This paper aimed to explore the presence of hallucinations, and AVHs in particular, across affective disorders (with non-affective disorders serving as clinical reference groups). Specific attention was given to i) running commentary, ii) voices conversing, and iii) negative voices. A secondary aim was to examine patterns of associated delusional themes.
  
  
  
  Participants were 1550 Australians, aged 18-64 years, assigned to one of four groups on the basis of diagnosis: i) bipolar disorder (BD), ii) depressive psychosis (DP), iii) schizophrenia (SCZ), and iv) schizoaffective disorder (SAD). Relevant data collected from the 2010 Australian Survey of High Impact Psychosis (SHIP) was analysed.
  
  
  
  Current prevalence of hallucinations was such that BD<DP; severity of hallucinations, and AVHs in particular, was in the order BD=DP<SAD=SCZ. These results were statistically significant. Negative voices, and concomitantly, persecutory delusions, were prominent across all clinical groups.
  
  
  
  Future research should examine age of AVH onset as well as other forms of AVHs, whilst taking into account participants' specific mood states.
authors.affiliation: Brain and Psychological Sciences Research Centre (BPsyC), Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre (MAPrc), The Alfred Hospital and Monash University School of Psychology and Psychiatry, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. Electronic address: wtoh@swin.edu.au.
authors.forename: Wei Lin
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Toh
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, St. Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Castle
authors.affiliation: Brain and Psychological Sciences Research Centre (BPsyC), Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre (MAPrc), The Alfred Hospital and Monash University School of Psychology and Psychiatry, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.affiliation: Centre for Clinical Research in Neuropsychiatry (CCRN), Royal Perth Hospital, University of Western Australia, WA, Australia.
authors.forename: Johanna C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Badcock
authors.affiliation: Brain and Psychological Sciences Research Centre (BPsyC), Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre (MAPrc), The Alfred Hospital and Monash University School of Psychology and Psychiatry, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Department of Psychiatry, St. Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Susan L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Rossell
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003702:Delusions / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006212:Hallucinations / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D015995:Prevalence; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Bipolar disorder; Depressive psychosis; Hearing voices; Major depressive disorder