Meeting abstract

https://doi.org/10.24869/spsih.2026.256

Hallucinatory Experiences in Individuals With Sensory Impairments – A Report of Two Cases

Josipa Batur ; Clinic for Psychiatry, Clinical Hospital Centre Rijeka, Krešimirova 42, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia *
Ira Zaharija ; Clinic for Psychiatry, Clinical Hospital Centre Rijeka, Krešimirova 42, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
Tatjana Ružić ; Clinic for Psychiatry, Clinical Hospital Centre Rijeka, Krešimirova 42, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia; Faculty of Medicine in Rijeka, University of Rijeka, Braće Branchetta 20, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
Aristea Pavešić Radonja ; Clinic for Psychiatry, Clinical Hospital Centre Rijeka, Krešimirova 42, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia; Faculty of Medicine in Rijeka, University of Rijeka, Braće Branchetta 20, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
Macha Natacha Bogdanović ; Clinic for Psychiatry, Clinical Hospital Centre Rijeka, Krešimirova 42, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia; Faculty of Medicine in Rijeka, University of Rijeka, Braće Branchetta 20, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
Julija Radović ; Clinic for Psychiatry, Clinical Hospital Centre Rijeka, Krešimirova 42, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
Gordana Rubeša ; Clinic for Psychiatry, Clinical Hospital Centre Rijeka, Krešimirova 42, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia; Faculty of Medicine in Rijeka, University of Rijeka, Braće Branchetta 20, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia

* Corresponding author.

Abstract

Objective: To present the specific features of hallucinatory
and other perceptual phenomena in individuals
with sensory impairments and to highlight
diagnostic challenges in their psychiatric assessment.
Materials and methods: Two patients
treated at the Clinic for Psychiatry, Clinical Hospital
Centre Rijeka, are presented. The first case
concerns a deaf-mute female patient hospitalized
due to psychotic decompensation, and the second
a visually impaired male patient with an organic
affective disorder accompanied by visual hallucinations.
In addition to the case reports, a review
of the available literature on hallucinations and
psychotic symptoms in individuals with sensory
impairments was conducted. Results: In the deafmute
patient, psychiatric assessment was hindered
by communication limitations and required collaboration with a sign language interpreter.
During the workup, the patient displayed disorganized
behavior and reported paranoid content
and unusual perceptual experiences, making it
difficult to distinguish psychotic symptoms from
phenomena related to the sensory deficit. In the
visually impaired patient with multiple somatic
comorbidities and an organic affective disorder,
visual hallucinatory experiences predominated
in the form of perceiving flowers and leaves. In
the differential diagnosis, psychological, organic,
and deprivation-related mechanisms of symptom
formation were considered. Both cases indicate a
substantial impact of sensory impairment on the
phenomenology of symptoms and on the diagnostic
process. Conclusion: Sensory impairments
can modify the presentation of hallucinations
and other psychotic phenomena. The presented
cases underscore the importance of an individualized
approach and careful differential diagnosis of
perceptual disorders in individuals with sensory
impairments.

Keywords

hallucinations; sensory impairment; sensory deprivation; psychotic symptoms

Hrčak ID:

352913

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/352913

Publication date:

15.6.2026.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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