Acute Phobic Hallucinations in Very Young Children

Acute hallucinations in children aged 2–6 is not a rare occurrence. Emerging at times of stress, they are associated with severe anxiety and phobic behavior. The hallucinations are almost always visual and/or tactile. Contrary to reports of hallucinations at other ages, they tend to occur in bright, independent children. They are self-limited, with the acute hallucinatory phase over in a matter of several days and a subacute phobic phase which may last from weeks to months. In all of our cases there was a return to normal functioning. Hallucinations in this age group appear to be a different phenomenon from those occurring in older children, which are more frequently associated with more serious illnesses. These need to be understood in a developmental framework, but current knowledge does not permit a thorough explanation.