Hallucinatory Experiences in Nonpsychotic Children

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Eleven children who experienced hallucinations were assessed and treated. The psychiatric diagnosis varied, but most children presented mood disturbance, mainly anxiety. Their level of adaptive functioning was substantially impaired. The children were either socially inept or withdrawn. The hallucinations were associated mostly with bedtime and sleep phenomena. In the absence of other symptoms of psychosis no diagnosis of psychosis could be made. The hallucinations ceased early in the course of the treatment in nine children.