Is there a burden attached to synaesthesia? Health screening of synaesthetes in the general population

Carmichael, Duncan A.; Smees, Rebecca; Shillcock, Richard C.; Simner, Julia

Abstract

Synaesthesia has long been considered a benign alternative form of perception most often associated with positive rather than negative outcomes. The condition has been associated with a variety of cognitive and perceptual advantages, including benefits in memory, processing speed, and creativity. It is not currently recognized in the DSM-IV. Recently, however, several studies have raised the question of a possible link between synaesthesia and clinical conditions. Here, we present the first large-scale screening of the general population in which we (1) objectively identified grapheme-colour synaesthetes and (2) elicited information from our participants about a range of clinical conditions. We compared the prevalence rates of these conditions in synaesthetes versus non-synaesthetes to establish whether any conditions were found at a higher rate among synaesthetes. In our initial study, screening 3,742 people (95 synaesthetes and 3,647 controls), we found initially that grapheme-colour was significantly comorbid with two conditions (anxiety disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder). In our second study, screening a new population of 120 synaesthetes and 166 non-synaesthetes, we replicated our finding that grapheme-colour synaesthesia is comorbid with anxiety disorder. At the same time, we also addressed a methodological concern that likely elevated rates of OCD in Study 1. We consider the aetiology of synaesthesia to determine whether there may be a shared genetic or neurological basis with anxiety disorder, and we question the status of synaesthesia within a mental health framework

Citation

Carmichael, D. A., Smees, R., Shillcock, R. C., & Simner, J. (2019). Is there a burden attached to synaesthesia? Health screening of synaesthetes in the general population. British Journal of Psychology, 110(3), 530-548. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjop.12354

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 11, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Oct 3, 2018
• Publication Date: 2019-08
• Deposit Date: Jan 25, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 12, 2019
• Journal: British Journal of Psychology
• Print ISSN: 0007-1269
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 110
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 530-548
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/bjop.12354
• Keywords: anxiety, comorbidity, health, obsessive compulsive disorder, synaesthesia,
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/1532097
• Contract Date: Aug 12, 2019