A patient reports that ordinary sensations feel unusually intense. Before revealing the answer, decide how you would assess whether this is sensory intensity distortion.

Ask the patient to describe the experience carefully: is a real, identifiable external stimulus present throughout, and is it correctly recognised for what it is, with only its felt strength changed. Ask which direction the distortion runs, since heightened intensity is often linked to states of high emotional arousal, while dampened intensity is often linked to states of low arousal or clouded attention. Ask whether the distortion affects one sensory modality or several, since it can affect any sensory modality, though hearing is a commonly reported one. Establish the broader emotional and clinical context, since the direction and degree of distortion often tracks with the person's underlying mental state.