Psychosis Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Psychosis, including details on clinical depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder.

Hearing impairment and psychosis revisited.

Thewissen V, Myin-Germeys I, Bentall R, de Graaf R, Vollebergh W, van Os J

Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, South Limburg Mental Health Research and Teaching Network, EURON, Maastricht University, The Netherlands.

The previously reported but still poorly investigated link between deafness or hearing impairment (DHI) and the onset of positive psychotic experiences was investigated prospectively in a general population sample. Of the 109 DHI subjects at baseline, 11 (10.1%) displayed psychotic experiences at T(2) versus 137 (2.9%) of the non-DHI subjects (OR=3.8, 95% CI: 2.0, 7.2). This effect size was only slightly attenuated after adjustment for baseline psychotic experiences (OR=3.2, 95% CI: 1.6, 6.5) and after adjustment for T(0) psychotic experiences and a range of other confounders (OR=3.0, 95% CI: 1.4, 6.2) These results confirm previous findings of an association between hearing impairments and psychosis and show that this association can also be found prospectively in a nonclinical population.

Published 1 June 2005 in Schizophr Res, 76(1): 99-103.
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