title: Multimodal Hallucinations in Schizophrenia and Its Management.
abstract: A cluster of symptoms including hallucinations characterizes schizophrenia. Hallucinations that occur in more than one modality simultaneously and emanate from a single source are called multimodal hallucinations (MMHs). The occurrence of simultaneous hallucinations as the major manifestations of a psychiatric disorder often was dismissed as factitious disorder or malingering. Conversely, MMHs have been reported in severe mental disorders including schizophrenia. Here, we report MMH in two patients of treatment-resistant schizophrenia and its successful management with clozapine. The significance of MMH on the course, prognosis, and treatment resistance of schizophrenia needs to be elucidated. Further systematic research is needed to address these issues.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Vydehi Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Center, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Vijaya
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Virupakshappa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bagewadi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Dayanand
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sagar
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Shivarama
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Varambally
keywords: Multimodal hallucinations; schizophrenia; treatment; treatment resistance