Some studies in the literature have reported voice hallucinations in prelingually deaf patients with psychosis. There has been scientific debate on whether those correspond to the real experience of deaf patients with psychosis or are simply a reflex of the limitations of psychiatric terminology or insufficient knowledge of the neurobiology of hallucinations.

The aim of this study is to review literature on hallucinations in deaf people based on a clinical vignette of a case of an adolescent with psychosis, congenital deafness and hallucinations.

Literature review of peer reviewed studies in PubMed and Medline using the terms deafness, auditory verbal hallucinations and psychosis.

There are only few studies addressing the characteristics of hallucinations in deaf patients with psychosis. The hallucinatory experience of deaf people is very diverse, and seems to be related with the individual experience with language, sensorial input and grade of residual hearing.

The perceptual characteristics of the hallucinations in persons with deafness seem to be related to the individual auditory experience and to the patient language modality. This group of patients consist of a minority within a minority and their unique psychopathology is a challenge to the current understanding of psychiatric symptoms and classifications. Further research on this area can bring new insights to the understanding of the neurobiology of hallucinations and contribute to improved diagnosis and management of these rare cases.