Hallucinations: The Science of Idiosyncratic Perception

Hearing voices when nobody speaks or seeing objects no one else sees—hallucinations are intriguing phenomena that have puzzled clinicians, researchers, and lay people alike for centuries.In this book, the authors review the latest research on the cognitive and neural bases of hallucinations and outline their unique neurobiology by drawing on evidence from brain imaging and neurotransmission studies. Hallucination characteristics in different forms of psychosis, as well as other clinical groups and conditions, such as brain damage, Charles Bonnet syndrome, dementia, and chemical substance abuse receive detailed attention.The authors integrate the wealth of recent findings into a cohesive framework and put forward a comprehensive, multicomponent model of hallucinations. They also discuss the treatment of hallucinations, ranging from pharmacotherapy and cognitive therapy to transcranial magnetic stimulation.The book includes a comprehensive list of available hallucination questionnaires and scales as a handy clinical assessment resource. Read more