Complex visual hallucinations in a patient with chronic schizophrenia and alcohol dependence: a case report and literature review

Abstract

AbstractThe aim of this study was to report a patient with complex visual perceptual disturbances and a 30-year history of schizophrenia and alcohol dependence, and to formulate a comprehensive clinical approach to this unique neuropsychiatric phenomenon.The authors report subjective and objective information from the patient’s past medial history and current admission. The authors also did a comprehensive review of the literature on complex visual hallucinations.Complex visual hallucination is a frightening experience, with a pathogenesis ranging from chronic psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, to acute neurological events, such as cerebrovascular accident. The hallucination content is typically described by patients as vivid with dynamic images, in striking colors and clear contours. The authors report a patient earlier diagnosed with schizophrenia and alcohol dependence disorder who became agitated following a sudden onset of visions of vivid, interactive images of people and animals.Due to the scope of the differential diagnosis, identifying the exact underlying etiology of complex visual hallucinations is often challenging, yet critical, in preventing the high risk of morbidity and mortality associated with some of the root causes of this neuropsychiatric phenomenon.