We have examined lifetime prevalence of visual hallucinations in research subjects with schizophrenia in a retrospective study. We have found a lifetime prevalence of 32% and of those interviewed, 56%. Since it is commonly thought that visual hallucinations are more indicative of diseases of the brain other than schizophrenia, this study serves to dispel that notion and indicate another commonality between schizophrenia and some other diseases of the brain. Moreover, since these hallucinations are rare in mania, the presence of visual hallucinations in a patient may be a clue that the patient is suffering from schizophrenia.
