Posted by Blue Cheer on February 15, 2000, at 17:30:25
Regarding the "musical hallucinations" posts, I would like to state the following-- Intrusive music or songs in the head are recognized OCD symptoms. Psychologists have referred to them as non-visual obsessional imagery, and they can occur naturally or be drug-induced. They are specifically mentioned on older OCD scales. Some prominent OCD researchers have written about them (Stanley Rachman, Padmal DeSilva, et al), and it's easily researchable. Michael Jenike, M.D., Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation refers to a benzodiazepine-induced (Valium) case in his chapter on "Theories of Etiology" from his classic text Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders: .. (2nd & 3rd editions) Journal articles about this case appear in Br J Psychiatry 1987 Feb; 150:272 and J Nerv Ment Dis 1988 Nov; 176(11):688-691. Padmal De Silva also writes about Obsessional-compulsive imagery in Behav Res Ther 1986; 24(3):330-50. Another case of "music in the head" is described in the best seller by Judith L. Rapaport, M.D., _The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Washing_. My own "songs in the head" was the result of lithium discontinuation. Bipolar/Unipolar disorder commonly coexists with OCD, and a common pathophysiology is suspected. It took a renowned neurologist who finally noted my drug-induced OCD. Subsequent Valium discontinuation exacerbated it further. Until the Li d/c, OCD was never documented in my 30-year psychiatric history. I recommend that anyone whho develops intrusive music/songs, non-sensical noise in the head to report it to your doc and seek a neurological consultation since it involves complex areas of the brain, necessitating functional neuroimaging (PET, SPECT). High-dose SSRIs are a treatment consideration. ~~ Blue Cheer
poster:Blue Cheer
thread:21638
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000209/msgs/21638.html