The Experience of Schizophrenia: The Mechanism Behind Delusions of Control

Added: 2026-05-16

[00:00:00]The feeling that your own actions are being controlled by someone else is a delusion that can occur in schizophrenia, known as Delusions of Control.

[00:00:08]Every time we move our bodies, the brain predicts what kind of sensations will be produced as a result of that movement, and compares them with the actual sensations in the body.

[00:00:21]Normally, the brain’s predictions and the actual sensations match.

[00:00:26]If the brain’s predictions and the actual sensations do not match, it’s usually because of something external— for example, when someone else moves your hand.

[00:00:36]In people with schizophrenia, the brain can sometimes fail to predict the sensations that arise from their own voluntary movements.

[00:00:45]Therefore, in people with schizophrenia, when they move, a mismatch can arise between the brain’s predictions and the actual bodily sensations, and they may feel as if their body is being moved by someone else.