Complex Bodily Hallucinatory Experiences Scale (CBHES): Development, structure and psychometric properties

OBJECTIVES: Complex bodily hallucinations are not rare in psychiatric, neurological and toxicological conditions and may also be reported even in the total absence of any medical condition. Despite this, they are usually not clinically assessed independently from (and in comparison to) hallucinations in other modalities. The objective of this study was to develop a short scale assessing complex bodily hallucinations. METHODS: Based on previous research and clinical reports, we present a new short scale for the assessment of four themes of such hallucinations, i.e., delusional parasitosis, the feeling of presence, autoscopic phenomena, and body distortions. The scale was completed by 623 participants from the general population. RESULTS: percentile of the total score is used as a classification criterion. CONCLUSION: The short scale developed has good psychometric properties and can be used both in clinical and research settings.