Community studies have found a relatively high prevalence of hallucinations, which are associated with a range of (psychotic and non-psychotic) mental disorders, as well as with suicidal ideation and behaviour. The literature on hallucinations in the general population has largely focused on adolescents and young adults.

We aimed to explore the prevalence and psychopathologic significance of hallucinations across the adult lifespan.

Using the 1993, 2000, 2007 and 2014 cross-sectional Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey series (N = 33 637), we calculated the prevalence of past-year hallucinations in the general population ages 16 to ≥90 years. We used logistic regression to examine the relationship between hallucinations and a range of mental disorders, suicidal ideation and suicide attempts.

The prevalence of past-year hallucinations varied across the adult lifespan, from a high of 7% in individuals aged 16–19 years, to a low of 3% in individuals aged ≥70 years. In all age groups, hallucinations were associated with increased risk for mental disorders, suicidal ideation and suicide attempts, but there was also evidence of significant age-related variation. In particular, hallucinations in older adults were less likely to be associated with a cooccurring mental disorder, suicidal ideation or suicide attempt compared with early adulthood and middle age.

Our findings highlight important life-course developmental features of hallucinations from early adulthood to old age.

社区研究发现幻觉的发生率相对较高，这与一系列（精神病和非精神病）精神障碍以及自杀意念和行为有关。关于普通人群幻觉的文献主要集中在青少年和年轻人身上。

我们旨在探索幻觉在整个成年期的普遍性和精神病理学意义。

使用 1993 年、2000 年、2007 年和 2014 年横断面成人精神病发病率调查系列 ( N = 33 637)，我们计算了 16 至 90 岁以上普通人群中过去一年幻觉的发生率。我们使用逻辑回归来检查幻觉与一系列精神障碍、自杀意念和自杀企图之间的关系。

过去一年幻觉的发生率在整个成年人的生命周期中有所不同，从 16-19 岁个体的 7% 高到 70 岁以上个体的 3% 低。在所有年龄组中，幻觉与精神障碍、自杀意念和自杀企图的风险增加有关，但也有证据表明与年龄相关的显着差异。特别是，与成年早期和中年相比，老年人的幻觉不太可能与同时发生的精神障碍、自杀意念或自杀企图相关联。

我们的研究结果突出了从成年早期到老年幻觉的重要生命历程发展特征。