Which sensory modality is most commonly experienced as a hallucination in psychosis?

• A. Tactile
• B. Visual
• C. Auditory
• D. Olfactory

Answer: (C)

Auditory hallucinations are the most common type of hallucination seen in psychosis. In schizophrenia and related disorders, hearing voices is a frequent and characteristic symptom, often described as voices talking, commenting, or instructing. This reflects disruptions in language and auditory processing networks, and a tendency to misattribute internal thoughts or inner speech as external voices.

Other sensory modalities can be affected, but much less frequently in primary psychotic illnesses. Visual hallucinations do occur, but are more typical of delirium, substance-induced psychosis, or other neurological or mood disorders. Tactile and olfactory hallucinations are rarer still in primary psychosis and tend to point to alternative or comorbid factors.