Oneirophrenia

Oneirophrenia (from the Greek words "ὄνειρος" (oneiros, "dream") and "φρήν" (phrēn, "mind")) is a hallucinatory, dream-like state caused by several conditions such as prolonged sleep deprivation, sensory deprivation, or drugs (such as the oneirogens ibogaine and harmaline). Oneirophrenia is often confused with an acute case of schizophrenia due to the onset of hallucinations. The severity of this condition can range from derealization to complete hallucinations and delusions. Oneirophrenia was described for the first time in the 1950s but was studied more in the 1960s. Oneirophrenia was studied in the 1950s by the neurologist and psychiatrist Ladislas J. Meduna (1896–1964), also known as the discoverer of one of the forms of shock therapy, using the drug metrazol. Although oneirophrenia was recognized as a specific condition in the 1950s, it was not studied in depth until the 1960s. During its beginning stages oneirophrenia was studied very closely with schizophrenia as an acute form due to the relationship between their symptoms. It wasn't until greater research that oneirophrenia became its own mental disease. Meduna (1950) identified apperception disturbance as a core symptom of oneirophrenia, with primary impacts on sensory modalities: vision, proprioception and interoception (including body image), hearing, smell, and difficulty with central vision (e.g., foggy or hazy vision). Patients often experience a sense of unreality, which they struggle to accept for an extended period.