Citation

O'Connor K, Nelson B, Cannon M, Yung A, Thompson A. Early Interv. Psychiatry 2019; 13(2): 231-240.

Affiliation

Division of Mental Health and Wellbeing, The University of Warwick, Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust, Coventry, UK.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/eip.12469

PMID

28792130

Abstract

AIMS: The aims of this study were 3-fold. We wished to investigate whether at baseline entry to an ultra-high risk (UHR) clinic whether: (1) perceptual abnormalities are more prevalent in those young people with co-morbid psychiatric diagnoses, (2) perceptual abnormalities are more prevalent in those young people with histories of childhood adversity (childhood trauma, bullying) and (3) perceptual abnormality type is associated with co-morbid psychiatric diagnoses or histories of childhood adversity.

METHODS: In a sample of 118 UHR patients we investigated the relationship between perceptual abnormalities and non-psychotic diagnoses and adverse life events at entry to a UHR clinic.

RESULTS: Depressive disorder at baseline was associated with increased odds of experiencing perceptual abnormalities (OR 3.59, P = .004), particularly visual perceptual abnormalities (OR 2.36, P = .02). Borderline personality disorder at baseline was associated with increased odds of any auditory perceptual abnormalities (OR 3.44, P = .04) and specifically second person perceptual abnormalities (OR 2.69, P = .04). A history of childhood trauma and childhood bullying were both associated with increased odds of experiencing perceptual abnormalities at baseline (trauma OR 6.30, P < .001; bullying OR 5.00, P = .01).

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that in the UHR population, certain types of perceptual abnormalities index risk for co-morbid non-psychotic disorder and indicate prior experience of childhood trauma. The use of detailed phenomenology of psychotic symptoms can help to shape our understanding of risk in UHR patients.

© 2017 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Language: en

Keywords

hallucinations; psychosis; trauma; ultra high risk