No general pathological significance of aphantasia

An evaluation based on criteria for mental disorders

Bibliographic Data

ID21392058
AuthorsMerlin Monzel (0000-0001-7012-9350, Department of Psychology University of Bonn Bonn Germany, corresponding author), Annabel Vetterlein (0000-0002-7478-4886, Department of Psychology University of Bonn Bonn Germany), Martin Reuter (0000-0003-1050-9655, Department of Psychology University of Bonn Bonn Germany)
Year2023
Volume64
Issue3
Pages314-324
Publication date2023-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueScandinavian Journal of Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0036-5564 • E-ISSN: 1467-9450
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/sjop.12887
PMID36463494
OpenAlexW4310668069
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited55

As awareness of the phenomenon of aphantasia (= lack of voluntary imagery) has increased in recent years, many psychotherapists ponder its clinical implications. The present study investigates whether aphantasia meets the criteria for mental disorders, i.e. statistical rarity, impairment in activities of daily living, violation of social norms and inappropriate behavior and personal distress. Prevalence of aphantasia was determined meta‐analytically based on 3,543 participants. An international sample of 156 participants with aphantasia (58.3% male; M age = 35.23) and 131 controls (65.6% male; M age = 28.88) was assessed with the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test, the Questionnaire for the Assessment of Everyday Memory Performance and the Aphantasia Distress Questionnaire, as well as measures of depression, anxiety and well‐being. The prevalence of aphantasia was estimated at 3.5 to 4.8%. Participants with aphantasia scored significantly lower than controls on every day and autobiographical memory, but not on theory of mind. A subgroup of 34.7% of participants with aphantasia reported distress significantly associated with lower well‐being and high levels of anxiety and depression. The level of distress increased with poorer performance in autobiographical memory and theory of mind. Although aphantasia meets the criterion of statistical rarity, the impact on activities of daily living and personal distress is too weak to justify a classification as a mental disorder. In a subgroup, however, distress can reach clinically relevant levels. In individual cases, it is therefore advisable to conduct a psychological assessment, for example by means of the Aphantasia Distress Questionnaire

Anxiety · Depression (economics) · Distress · Psychiatry · Clinical Psychology · Deception detection and forensic psychology · Face Recognition and Perception · Memory Processes and Influences · Psychology

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