How We Understand Hallucinations 2 (HUsH2)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
How we Understand Hallucinations 2: non-psychotic voice hearing
IRAS ID
210287
Contact name
Rachel Upthegrove
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) are rich and complex experiences, which remain understudied in scientific literature. Current models of AVHs (for example that they are misunderstood “Inner Speech”) are unable to explain the complexity of the experience as they fail to account for the diverse range of characteristics associated with such events. In this study we are investigating the experiences of non-psychotic people who hear voices. We propose that, by adopting a Phenomenological approach, we will be able to explore the real nature of AVHs more accurately – directly through patients' descriptions. Phenomenology involves focussing on the experience as it happens. In other words, we adopt a ‘naïve’ perspective (i.e. one that does not rely on existing suppositions about the phenomena) in our interpretation of participants’ descriptions in order to gain a better understanding of the true nature of experience itself. Phenomenology has the potential to capture a wide range of experiences, without categorising or reducing them to fit a specific, pre-defined model. By using a combination of diary and photo-elicitation techniques, we hope to gather from participants an in depth narrative of their experiences. Photo-elicitation will involve participants taking photographs of anything they believe represents aspects of, or provokes emotions relating to, their experiences of AVHs. Such a method may be particularly useful in this study as it affords individuals the opportunity to explore feelings and experiences that can otherwise be difficult to talk about. We will compare our results to existing standardised measures of AVH’s. We will also ask participants to undergo an MRI brain scan and explore whether themes that emerge from our better understanding of patients' experiences show differences in neuroimaging results. We will also recruit healthy controls who have not experienced a mental health problem to complete only the neuroimaging part of the study.
REC name
West Midlands - Edgbaston Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/WM/0428
Date of REC Opinion
23 Nov 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion