Management of auditory hallucinations as a sequela of traumatic brain injury: a case report and a relevant literature review

Am J Ther. 2014 Jan-Feb;21(1):e1-6. doi: 10.1097/MJT.0b013e31825e3a80.

Abstract

A patient with progressively worsening auditory hallucinations and 30-year history of traumatic brain injury (TBI) was reported. To formulate a comprehensive diagnostic and treatment approach to patients with auditory sensory disturbances and other neuropsychiatric sequela of a TBI, an electronic search of the major behavioral science databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, Medline) and a textbook review were conducted to retrieve studies detailing the clinical characteristics, biological mechanisms, and therapeutic approaches to post-TBI psychosis. Additional references were incorporated from the bibliographies of the retrieved articles. Although infrequent, auditory hallucinations is a debilitating complication of TBI that can manifest itself 4-5 years after the occurrence of TBI. Because the age range of TBI survivors is 15-24 years, and the chance of developing post-TBI psychosis is reported to be up to 20%, this chronic neuropsychiatric complication and the available treatment options warrant close scrutiny from the clinical and the biomedical research community. Our case report and literature review demonstrates a clear need for a large, well-designed randomized trials to compare properties and efficacies of different, available, and promising pharmacotherapy agents for the treatment of post-TBI psychosis.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Behavior
  • Brain Injuries / complications*
  • Brain Injuries / psychology
  • Brain Injuries / therapy*
  • Hallucinations / etiology*
  • Hallucinations / psychology
  • Hallucinations / therapy*
  • Hospitalization
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neuropsychological Tests
  • Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
  • Psychotherapy
  • Psychotic Disorders / epidemiology
  • Psychotic Disorders / etiology