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Elaborate hallucinations, but is it a psychotic disorder?

Current Psychiatry. 2021 February;20(2):46-50 | doi: 10.12788/cp.0091
February 1, 2021|Current Psychiatry
John Wang, MD;Dina Patel, MD;Dimitry Francois, MD
Author and Disclosure Information

Dr. Wang is a PGY-1 Psychiatry Resident, Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York. Dr. Patel is a Fellow, Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York. Dr. Francois is Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York.

Disclosures
The authors report no financial relationships with any companies whose products are mentioned in this article, or with manufacturers of competing products.

Mr. B, age 93, has recurrent visual, auditory, and tactile hallucinations involving a man named ‘Harry,’ but no other psychotic symptoms. What diagnoses should you consider?

Related Resources

  • Charles Bonnet Syndrome Foundation. https://www.charlesbonnetsyndrome.org
  • Schultz G, Melzack R. The Charles Bonnet syndrome: ‘phantom visual images’. Perception. 1991;20:809-825.
  • Menon GJ, Rahman I, Menon SJ, et al. Complex visual hallucinations in the visually impaired: the Charles Bonnet syndrome. Surv Ophthalmol. 2003;48(1):58-72.

Drug Brand Names

Carbamazepine • Tegretol
Clonazepam • Klonopin
Donepezil • Aricept
Escitalopram • Lexapro
Gabapentin • Neurontin
Olanzapine • Zyprexa
Risperidone • Risperdal
Valproate • Depakote
Venlafaxine • Effexor

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