The Phenomenological Auditory Hallucination Scale, second version (PAHS.2)

Massimiliano Aragona, Matteo Maggiora, Elena Proietti Rocchi

This report is about to present the second version of the Phenomenological Auditory Hallucination Scale (PAHS.2). This is an instrument designed for clinical practice and psychopathological research. Our main aim was to explore hallucinations with a specific attention to qualitative subtle features that often are crucial for the assessment. The scale was designed to assess not only the intrinsic features of hallucinations but also the context in which they are situated (e.g., the state of consciousness, the surrounding atmosphere, the experience of time, etc.).

A first version of this scale (PAHS.1) has been discussed at the Roman Circle of Psychopathology, then sent for public consultation (to clinicians and experts by experience). Moreover, the authors administered it to a small sample of patients (with psychosis, PTSD and substance-related hallucinosis) to detect possible difficulties in single items’ questions and/or possible answers. In two subsequent meetings, the authors revised the scale and then administered it again to other patients to verify the appropriateness of the changes. In conclusion, in a further meeting, agreement was reached on the final version of the scale (PAHS.2).

Future studies may be designed to validate this latest version and evaluate possible further modifications. In the meantime, the PAHS.2 is already available as an interesting phenomenological assessment tool for describing individual cases in qualitative studies.