The Clinical Characteristics of Auditory Hallucinations Among Schizophrenic Inpatients

Abstract: Schizophrenia is the most chronic psychosis in Egypt and accounts for the majority of
inpatients in our mental hospitals. Hallucinations are very common in patients with schizophrenia.
Auditory hallucinations are one of the prominent symptoms of schizophrenia. Auditory hallucinations
can be highly distressing, often disrupt social functioning and increase the risk for suicide. Aim:
Assess the clinical characteristics of auditory hallucinations among schizophrenics inpatients.
Setting: El-Maamoura Hospital for Psychiatric Medicine, in Alexandria. Sampling: A convenient
sample of 100 schizophrenic patients who have auditory hallucinations .Tools: 1) The socio
demographic and clinical characteristics which developed by the researcher. 2) Characteristics of
Auditory Hallucinations Rating Scale. Result: The findings revealed that about one third of the
studied schizophrenic patients had voices “louder” in comparison to subject’s other auditory
experiences. While two third of them were full understanding of the auditory hallucination content.
Three quarter of the studied schizophrenic patients were had full specification of source of voices.
Patient’s age from 25 to 45 years were had the highest mean score of auditory hallucinations. there
is no significant correlation between socio demographic and auditory hallucinations characteristics
Conclusion: The findings of the present study contribute to the clinical characteristics of auditory
hallucination among schizophrenic inpatients and there is no significant correlation between socio
demographic and auditory hallucinations characteristics. Recommendation: There is a need to carry
out more researches to assess the phenomenology of auditory hallucinations. Accurate and specific
assessment of auditory hallucination may facilitate engagement with patients and improve the
selection of strategies to help them manage the voices that upset them.