What are the dangers of hallucinations in older people and is it possible to get rid of them? Pills for hallucinations What do hallucinations mean?

When a person begins to perceive the world differently from the way it usually happens among ordinary people, then suspicions arise that he is developing mental disorders. Various types of hallucinations refer to such deviations from the norm, which are facilitated by many reasons. Symptoms help in identifying the type of hallucinations, as well as in determining the correct approach to treatment.

Should a person be blamed for suffering from hallucinations? This process does not depend on the desires and actions of a person. Hallucinations are a consequence of both physiological pathologies and mental disorders. A person himself often becomes a “puppet” in the hands of those who arise, because he cannot distinguish the normal from the abnormal, the unreal from the real.

The danger of this disease, the online magazine site notes, is that a person commits actions based on the hallucinations that happen to him. And since hallucinations are a distorted perception of the world, events that do not actually exist, then the actions that a person takes are inadequate.

What are hallucinations?

Hallucination has many definitions that all say the same thing. What it is?

Hallucinations are the appearance of an object in a person’s mind without a clear external stimulus.
Hallucinations are a disorder of perception of the surrounding world, when a person sees, feels, hears something that is not really there. The object that one perceives is not actually there.

Hallucinations should not be confused with mirages. Hallucinations are a consequence of a violation of the mental activity of the person himself, and mirages are external manifestations of physical reality that obey the laws of physics.

When hallucinations occur, we are talking about an error in perception by the senses or the brain. Distortion occurs in the human body, and not in the outside world. What he sees, feels or hears does not exist, which can be noted by other people whose senses and brain are functioning properly.

This distorted perception can occur in various situations:

As a result of overwork.
After taking psychotropic drugs.
After taking certain medications.
As a result of a disease that affects the functioning of the nervous system.
For mental illness.

Types of hallucinations

There are a large number of types of hallucinations, which can be divided into two subtypes:

True hallucinations are perceptions that are combined with real objects in the surrounding world. They are often vivid and so convincing that a person cannot distinguish them from normal perception. Often they are closely related to objects that actually surround a person. In turn, true hallucinations are divided into the following types:

Auditory – when a person hears, for example, voices or sounds that are not there. This type of hallucination is distinguished by the fact that a person hears voices, sounds, noises, speeches, phrases, etc. Sometimes they can address him personally, and sometimes sound separate from him. Here are the following subspecies:

Threatening hallucinations – when a person hears voices that threaten him or his loved ones.
Commentary hallucinations - when voices in a person’s head comment, criticize, evaluate everything he thinks or does.
Imperative (or commanding) hallucinations - when a person, for example, hears voices that encourage him to commit an illegal act or commit suicide. This type of hallucination is considered the most dangerous because it encourages a person to take actions that may threaten him personally or others.
Contrasting (antagonistic) hallucinations – when a person hears two voices that contradict each other in ideas, opinions, etc. (contradict each other).
Speech motor hallucinations - when a person thinks that his speech apparatus has been taken over by someone else’s forces, he speaks in a voice that is not his own.

Visual - seeing objects that do not currently surround him. They, in turn, are divided into the following subspecies:
1. Elementary - haze, fog, zigzag, etc.
2. Subject – animals, people, creatures, events, scenes, etc.
3. Normal - objects and people appear to be in their natural size.
4. Lilliputian - when hallucinations are presented in a reduced size.
5. Gulliverian (macroscopic) - when hallucinations are seen in gigantic proportions.
6. Autoscopic (double hallucinations) - when a person sees himself.
7. Extracampal - vision of what is behind, out of sight.
8. Hypnagogic (hypnopompic) are hallucinations that occur before going to bed with your eyes closed.
9. Adelomorphic - hallucinations that do not have clear shapes, colors, or volume.
Olfactory – when a person perceives smells that are not actually there. More often unpleasant odors appear (rotting, poison, decay, etc.), less often - unfamiliar odors, and even less often - pleasant ones. For this reason, patients may refuse to drink or eat because they feel like they were given something poisonous. This includes taste hallucinations, when a person tastes what he hears through the nose.
Tactile - when a person feels various kinds of touch or temperature changes. They are divided into the following subspecies:

Thermal – burning or cold.
Haptic – sensations of grasping.
Hygric – the appearance of fluid on the skin.
External zoopathy is insects crawling on the body.
Visceral – a feeling as if there are some insects, objects, etc. under the skin.

Complex

Pseudohallucinations are an illusory perception of the world, when a person sees something that cannot exist, or something is in his head, body, or consciousness.

The following types of hallucinations should be highlighted separately:

Charles-Bonnet hallucinations are the appearance of phantom sensations in a missing organ. For example, seeing objects in blind people or feeling pain in a missing limb.
Functional hallucinations are distortions against the background of real objects. For example, the sound of flowing water seems to produce voices. Here they highlight a visual echo - when moving objects leave behind a certain trace in space.
Psychomotor (kinesthetic) hallucinations - a feeling that parts of the body are moving without the will of a person, although in fact they remain in place.
Hallucinosis is the appearance of hallucinations while maintaining awareness.
Induced (suggestible) hallucinations are visions or sensations that are suggested to a person, for example, during hypnosis.

Causes of hallucinations

What reasons do scientists identify for the formation of hallucinations? There are many factors here, mainly related to the functionality of the central nervous system:

Hereditary pathologies.
Mental illnesses, for example Parkinson's disease, focal epilepsy.
Brain injury, especially to the temporal lobe.
Diseases affecting brain function.
– with severe alcohol poisoning.
Drug poisoning.
Infectious diseases accompanied by high body temperature.
Metabolic disease.
Overwork, emotional stress.
Taking alcoholic beverages, drugs, psychotropic drugs.
Various types of body poisoning.
Alcohol withdrawal syndrome or.
Brain diseases, such as encephalitis.

The phenomenon of hallucinations is of interest to scientists due to its lack of study. Not all factors have yet been identified in this matter. For example, hallucinations can be of a mass nature, that is, they can occur simultaneously in several people at the same time. Moreover, we are talking about healthy people who do not suffer from mental or physiological abnormalities.

This is called the property of suggesting the same picture to people. How this works is still unknown.

Scientists attribute age to the causes of hallucinations. As people age, they develop various diseases that can affect the functionality of their central nervous system. Not all older people suffer from hallucinations, but they are more prone to them.

Additional factors that contribute to the development of hallucinations are:

Depressed mood.
High anxiety.
Stable pessimism.

Symptoms of hallucinations

If you familiarize yourself with the types of hallucinations, you can note that they differ in the analyzers that perceive them. Accordingly, the symptoms of this disease will also be divided into analyzers that perceive them. Hallucination Man:

He sees.
He hears.
Feels.
Feels it.

For example, hypnagogic hallucinations develop when a person is tired and overworked. These could also be symptoms.

Hallucinations are accompanied by:

Persuasiveness – when a person sincerely believes in what he sees, feels, hears, etc.
Dementia.

The duration of hallucinations differs from the degree of damage to the brain or analyzer, as well as from the age and susceptibility of the person.

Treatment of hallucinations

Treatment of hallucinations consists of eliminating the causes that provoked them. Often we are talking about a cure for a disease of a physiological or psychological nature, about eliminating the use of harmful substances, about the need for rest and elimination of stress, normalization of brain function, etc. There is no need to talk about a complete cure, since much depends on the ability of doctors to cope with the main problem. cause of hallucinations.

Since a person is accompanied by various psychological disorders, treatment is aimed at eliminating them. We are talking about getting rid of:

Breda.
Fear.
Excitement.
Anxiety.

Doctors focus their efforts on eliminating conditions such as intoxication or drug poisoning from the body. That is why it is impossible to provide the entire list of medications, since the treatment of each patient is individual.

The help of a psychiatrist who identifies hallucinations and determines their nature becomes important. The fact is that patients may be afraid that their disease will be detected, often hiding or imitating their condition. If a person has a severe psychological illness, then he is hospitalized in a psychiatric hospital.

Here the safety of both the patient himself and his environment, which can take care of him during mild forms of hallucinations, becomes important. Since the patient cannot distinguish the real from the unreal, he may commit actions that will threaten him or his loved ones with death.

Forecast

It is difficult to make predictions about the development of a disease in which hallucinations are noted. If a mild form of the disease is observed, then doctors are able to cure it, which will lead to the disappearance of hallucinations. However, in the presence of serious pathologies, we can only talk about a decrease in symptoms.

Hallucinations affect a person's life expectancy. If he is not treated, then he may harm himself. Also, much depends on the reason that provoked the hallucinations: if the disease is fatal, then life expectancy will depend on it.

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Hallucinations are an image that appears in the mind of an individual without the presence of an external stimulus. They can arise as a result of severe fatigue, with the use of a number of drugs with psychotropic effects and with certain neurological ailments and some mental illnesses. In other words, hallucinations are unreal perceptions, an image without an object, sensations that arise without stimuli. Images that are not supported by truly existing stimuli can be represented as an error in the processes of perception of the sensory organs, when the patient feels, sees or hears something that does not really exist.

There are hallucinations that have a sensually bright coloring and persuasiveness. They can be projected externally, do not differ from true perceptions and are called true. In addition, there are hallucinations, perceived by the internal auditory or visual analyzer, localized in the internal sphere of consciousness and felt as a result of the influence of some external force that provokes visions, for example, voices. They are called pseudohallucinations.

Causes of hallucinations

Imaginary images, not supported by actually present stimuli and associated with the visual system, are characterized by patients seeing a variety of objects or events that do not actually exist in which they can take part.

These hallucinations in humans arise as a consequence of poisoning with alcohol-containing substances (that is, it is one of the manifestations of alcohol), when using narcotic drugs, as well as psychostimulants, such as LSD, cocaine, etc., medications with M-anticholinergic effects (for example, antidepressants), some organic tin structures. In addition, visual imaginary images, as well as auditory hallucinations characteristic of some ailments (peduncular hallucinosis).

Visual hallucinations, therefore, are a so-called visual illusion, a disturbed perception of reality. With this disease, the patient cannot separate real existing objects from imaginary images.

Orders given by a “voice from above”, words of praise from invisible friends, shouts refer to hallucinations from the auditory system. They are often observed in schizophrenic disorders, simple partial seizures, occur with alcoholic hallucinosis, and are a consequence of various poisonings.

The feeling of imaginary odors is characteristic of olfactory erroneous perceptions, which are also found in patients who often feel extremely unpleasant “odors” of rot, rottenness, etc. In addition, olfactory hallucinations can be caused by brain defects, namely lesions of the temporal lobe. Partial seizures and encephalitis caused by the herpes virus, along with olfactory imaginary perceptions, also cause taste hallucinations, characterized by patients feeling a pleasant or disgusting taste in the mouth.

Tactile hallucinations in individuals are expressed in the feeling of objects that actually do not exist. They are caused by alcohol withdrawal syndrome, which may also be accompanied by auditory misperceptions and visual visions.

Bodily hallucinations are characterized by the patient feeling a variety of unpleasant sensations, for example, the passage of an electric current through the body. In addition, there may be sensations of grabbing limbs, touching the body, or exploding bubbles in the intestines. These hallucinations can cause schizophrenia or encephalitis.

Regardless of the factors that trigger the occurrence of erroneous perceptions, hallucinations are characterized by different specificities and affect patients differently.

Some may have a neutral coloration or be devoid of emotionality. Patients suffering from such hallucinations treat them calmly, often even indifferently. However, there are exceptions in which imaginary images are manifested quite clearly emotionally.

Scientists, discussing the factors that provoke the appearance of hallucinations of various types, always emphasize that today this phenomenon has been poorly studied, and the disorders that arise from erroneous perceptions are not clear enough. Separately, experts highlight imaginary perceptions characteristic of healthy individuals. For example, mass hallucinations. During their inception, the phenomenon of mass suggestion is observed, in which people seem to “infect” or “turn on” each other, and the crowd at the same time represents a single organism. It has long been an established fact that human individuals in the mass are quite easily suggestible, and when alone, they are able to behave like a critically thinking individual.

Age often causes the appearance of this condition. Old age is an inevitable process in the life of every person and it is accompanied by serious changes occurring in the body. However, this does not mean that all elderly individuals will become weak-minded or incapable of independent existence. But still, subjects who have crossed the age of sixty often experience mental disorders inherent in old age. The first position among such disorders is occupied by paranoia, which causes modifications in the behavioral response of older people and causes various imaginary perceptions.

Also, constantly reduced mood, stable pessimism, high anxiety do not contribute to improving the current situation. In addition, sometimes hallucinations in older people are perceived by them as entertainment, an opportunity to hide from an unpleasant reality.

In addition to the above reasons, there are also drugs; hallucinations are often triggered by taking narcotic drugs. Therefore, before making a diagnosis, the possibility of perceptual deception due to excessive drug use or side effects of other drugs should be excluded.

Symptoms of hallucinations

Since illusory perceptions are divided into analytical systems, their symptoms will correspond to the analytical system in which there is a violation of perception. In practical terms, the following hallucinations are the most important.

Hypnagogic imaginary images - visual or auditory erroneous perceptions that occur when falling asleep, that is, with eyes closed, often foreshadow the development of alcoholic delirium.

In addition, imaginary perceptions can be true or false (pseudohallucinations). A patient who has true hallucinations is confident in their reality. For him, they are displayed in the space that surrounds him and are identical to everyday sounds, voices and visual images. And pseudohallucinations are limited to the patient’s body, they are accompanied by a feeling of alienation (for example, they can hear voices from outer space in their own head, they are sure of an outside influence on their mental and sensory processes). As a rule, pseudohallucinations are observed in combination with delusions of influence. True illusory perceptions are more characteristic of psychoses of an alcoholic, traumatic and organic nature. Pseudohallucinations are characteristic exclusively of schizophrenia.

A psychopathological syndrome consisting of pronounced, abundant (various types) hallucinations that prevail in the clinical picture of the disease is called hallucinosis. This syndrome is often accompanied by delirium.

Acute hallucinosis develops due to an infectious or intoxicating nature. Acute hallucinosis can become chronic due to organic brain disorders or vascular diseases if not treated sufficiently. In the chronic course of the described syndrome, the symptoms are dominated by auditory illusory perceptions and, less often, tactile imaginary sensations. At the same time, the patients’ behavior is characterized by orderliness, perhaps even a critical attitude towards non-existent “voices” in the head. Often patients are able to maintain their ability to work.

Verbal hallucinations of a threatening nature are expressed in the patient’s persistent perception of verbal threats against themselves, for example, it seems to them that they are going to be hacked to death, castrated, or forced to drink poison.

Contrasting imaginary perceptions have the character of a collective dialogue - one set of voices furiously condemns the patient, demands that he be subjected to sophisticated torture or put to death, while the other group hesitantly defends him, timidly asks for a postponement of torture, assures that the patient will improve, stop drinking alcoholic beverages, and become kinder . Characteristic of this type of disorder is that a group of voices does not address the patient directly, but communicates with each other. Often they give the patient exactly the opposite orders (to fall asleep and dance at the same time).

Speech motor hallucinations are characterized by the patient’s belief that someone has taken over his own speech apparatus by influencing the muscles of the tongue and mouth. Sometimes the articulatory apparatus pronounces voices that are not heard by others. Many researchers attribute the described imaginary perceptions to variations of pseudohallucinatory disorders.

Visual hallucinations in individuals, in terms of their prevalence, occupy the second position in psychopathology after auditory ones. They can also be elementary (for example, a person sees smoke, fog, flashes of light), that is, with incomplete objectivity and the presence of objective content, namely zoopsy (visions of animals), polyopic (multiple images of illusory objects), demonomaniacal (visions of mythological characters , devils, aliens), diplopic (visions of double illusory images), panoramic (visions of colorful landscapes), endoscopic (visions of objects inside one’s body), scene-like (visions of plot-related imaginary scenes), autovisceroscopic (vision of one’s internal organs).

Autoscopic imaginary perceptions involve the patient observing one or more of his own doubles, completely copying his behavioral movements and manners. There are negative autoscopic misperceptions when the patient is unable to see his own reflection in a mirror surface.

Autoscopies are observed in case of organic disorders in the temporal lobe and parietal part of the brain, in alcoholism, in cases of postoperative hypoxia, due to the presence of severe psychotraumatic events.

Microscopic hallucinations are expressed in deceptions of perception, representing an illusory reduction in the size of people. Such hallucinations are most often found in psychoses of infectious origin, alcoholism, chloroform poisoning, and ether intoxication.

Macroscopic illusions of perception - the patient sees enlarged living beings. Polyopic imaginary perceptions consist in the patient seeing many identical imaginary images, as if created as a carbon copy.

Adelomorphic hallucinations are visual distortions that lack clarity of shapes, brightness of colors and three-dimensional configuration. Many scientists attribute this type of disorder to a special type of pseudohallucinations, which is characteristic of schizophrenia.

Extracampal hallucinations consist of the patient seeing with angular vision (that is, outside the normal field of vision) some phenomena or people. When the patient turns his head towards a non-existent object, such visions instantly disappear. Hemianopsic hallucinations are characterized by loss of one half of vision and are observed with organic disorders occurring in the human central nervous system.

Hallucinations of Charles Bonnet are true distortions of perception, observed when one of the analyzers is damaged. So, for example, with retinal detachment or glaucoma, visual hallucinations are observed, and with otitis media, auditory illusions are observed.

Olfactory hallucinations are a false perception of very unpleasant, sometimes disgusting and even suffocating odors (for example, the patient smells a decomposing corpse, which in reality does not exist). Often, olfactory hallucinations cannot be differentiated from olfactory illusions. It happens that one patient may have both disorders, as a result of which such a patient refuses to eat. Deceptive perceptions of the olfactory type can arise as a result of various mental illnesses, but they are predominantly characteristic of organic defects of the brain and are localized in the temporal region.

Gustatory hallucinations are often observed in combination with olfactory deceptive perceptions, manifested in the sensation of a taste of rot, pus, etc.

Tactile hallucinations consist of the patient feeling the appearance of some liquid on the body (hygric), touching something of high or low temperature (thermal hallucinations), grasping from the back of the body (haptic), an illusory sensation of the presence of insects or under the skin (internal zoopathy), crawling of insects or other small creatures on the skin (external zoopathy).

Some scientists classify as tactile hallucinations the symptom of feeling a foreign object in the mouth, for example, thread, hair, thin wire, observed in tetraethyl lead delirium. This symptom, in fact, is an expression of the so-called oropharyngeal imaginary perceptions. Tactile illusory ideas are characteristic of cocaine psychoses, delirious clouding of consciousness of various etiologies, and schizophrenia. Often tactile hallucinations in schizophrenia are localized in the genitourinary area.

Functional hallucinations arise against the background of a really existing stimulus and live until the end of the stimulus. For example, against the background of a piano melody, the patient can simultaneously hear the sound of a piano and a voice. When the melody ends, the illusory voice also disappears. Simply put, the patient simultaneously perceives a real stimulus (piano) and a commanding voice.

Functional hallucinations are also divided depending on the analyzer. Reflex hallucinations are akin to functional hallucinations; they are expressed in the appearance of imaginary perceptions of one analyzer when exposed to another and exist exclusively during stimulation of the first analyzer. For example, the patient may feel the touch of something wet on the skin (reflexive hygric hallucinations) when viewing a certain picture. As soon as the patient stops looking at the picture, the unpleasant sensations will disappear.

Kinesthetic (psychomotor) erroneous perceptions are manifested in patients’ sensations of movements of individual parts of the body that occur against their will, but in reality there are no movements.

Ecstatic hallucinations in a person are found when he is in a state of ecstasy. They are distinguished by their colorfulness, imagery, and influence on the emotional sphere. Often characterized by religious, mystical content. There are visual and auditory, as well as complex. Many drugs provoke hallucinations, but they are not always accompanied by positive emotions.

Hallucinosis is a psychopathological syndrome characterized by the presence of pronounced multiple hallucinations against the background of clear awareness.

Delusions and hallucinations form Plaut's hallucinosis, which is verbal (less often olfactory and visual) imaginary perceptions combined with delusions of persecution in clear consciousness. This form of hallucinosis occurs with a disease such as syphilis of the brain.

Hallucinosis of an atherosclerotic nature is observed more often in the female population. At the same time, at first, deceptive perceptions are fenced off; as atherosclerosis develops, there is an exacerbation of characteristic signs, such as weakening of memory, decreased intellectual activity, etc. The content of distorted perceptions is often neutral in nature and relates to simple everyday matters. With the deepening of atherosclerosis, deceptive perceptions can take on an increasingly fantastic character.

Hallucinations in children are often confused with illusions, which are children’s inadequate perception of real-life objects. In addition, for little babies, seeing illusions is considered a physiological norm, since with their help the development of fantasy occurs.

Hallucinations are spontaneously appearing types of various objects, characterized by colorfulness, the perception of objects and actions that do not exist in reality.

Hallucinations in children are a constant subject of study by scientists. Recent studies indicate that auditory hallucinations appear in approximately 10% of students in primary school. The occurrence of imaginary perceptions in children does not depend on their gender.

Treatment

To effectively treat perceptual disorders, it is necessary to find out the cause that provoked the appearance of this condition.

Hallucinations, what to do? Today, many methods have been developed aimed at treating different types of hallucinations. But for a number of ailments, therapy is aimed at curing the disease that caused hallucinations and eliminating or mitigating symptoms. Since hallucinations in isolated form are quite rare. They are often an integral part of a number of psychopathic syndromes, often combined with different variations of delusions. Often the appearance of imaginary perceptions, especially at the beginning of the disease, usually affects the patient and is accompanied by excitement, feelings, and anxiety.

Until now, the issue regarding the effective treatment of hallucinations is controversial, but almost all healers agree on one thing: treatment should be individually targeted.

In the first place, it is necessary to exclude various diseases and intoxications, which are often factors that provoke the appearance of this condition. Then you should pay attention to the medications used by the patient. Since in clinical practice there have been many cases when, to treat errors in the perception of various analyzers, it was enough to stop taking certain medications.

People suffering from the appearance of hallucinations may be characterized by a critical attitude towards imaginary ideas that arise in the mind, and not critical. The individual may realize that the voices he hears or the scenes he observes do not exist in reality, or he may think that they are true. Often, patients can see quite real scenes that correspond to reality, for example, observing events with the participation of relatives.

Some patients suffering from this condition are able to distinguish imaginary perceptions from reality, while others are unable to; some may feel changes in the body that are harbingers of imminent hallucinations. Close circles can notice the appearance of this disorder in an individual by his behavior, namely, by observing his gestures, facial expressions, actions, listening to the words he utters, which do not correspond to the surrounding reality. This is very important, since quite often patients, fearing placement in a “psychiatric hospital” or due to their delusional considerations, try to hide symptoms and dissimulate hallucinatory experiences.

A patient suffering from hallucinations is characterized by concentration and alertness. He can gaze intently at the surrounding space, listen intently to something, or silently move his lips in response to his unreal interlocutors. It happens that this condition occurs periodically in individuals. In such cases, it is characterized by a short-term course, so it is important not to miss an episode of hallucination. The facial expressions of patients often correspond to the content of imaginary perceptions, as a result of which they reflect surprise, fear, anger, and less often joy and delight.

With hallucinations characterized by the vividness of perception, they can respond out loud to the voices they hear, cover their ears, hold their nose with their hands, close their eyes, and fight off non-existent monsters.

Hallucinations, what to do? At the pre-medical stage, the main thing is the safety of the sick individual and his environment. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent possible dangerous and traumatic actions.

Responsibility for treating individuals suffering from an erroneous perception of reality, first of all, falls on their closest circle - their relatives.

At the medical stage, an anamnesis is first collected, the nature of what is visible, audible, and felt is clarified, and a laboratory examination is carried out in order to accurately diagnose and prescribe therapy, methods of care and monitoring of the patient.

Treatment is focused on stopping attacks of agitation and is aimed at eliminating symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations. For this purpose, intramuscular injections of Tizercin or Aminazine in combination with Haloperidol or Trisedil can be used. The patient is hospitalized in a psychiatric clinic in the presence of a serious mental illness that provokes the appearance of hallucinations.

Failure to provide assistance to patients is dangerous because this disorder can progress and can become chronic (hallucinosis), especially in the presence of aggravating factors, such as alcoholism. The patient is unable to distinguish all his hallucinations from reality, and as time passes he begins to think that this is the norm.

Doctor of the Medical and Psychological Center "PsychoMed"

The information presented in this article is intended for informational purposes only and cannot replace professional advice and qualified medical care. If you have the slightest suspicion of hallucinations, be sure to consult your doctor!

Visual hallucinations are a disordered perception of the world, or more precisely, one of the forms in which the patient cannot determine which objects he sees are real and which only. Sometimes visual ones appear in a very wide range. Patients claim that they see people, various animals, including mystical ones. Hallucinations, which are inanimate objects, often include not only ordinary things found in everyday life, but also various fantastic devices. In some cases, there are various moving scenes in which several characters take part at once.

It has been established that visual hallucinations can change their content, and the intensification of this pathological phenomenon often occurs at night and in the evening. If we talk about acute e, then its occurrence is typical for various types of psychoses. This is especially true for alcoholic psychoses, and visual hallucinations also occur in the case of infectious and intoxication psychoses. A special place in clinical practice is given to visual hallucinations arising from malignant brain tumors.

Acute is characterized by an unexpected occurrence, when the patient experiences many hallucinations of a scene-like nature, including a number of sensations that he himself evaluates as unpleasant and even painful. There is confusion, depression, and a constantly growing sense of fear. First of all, visual hallucinations should be distinguished from so-called pseudohallucinations. At the same time, the patient believes that they are unnatural, and is sure that someone is deliberately showing him these images and pictures.

In this situation, there cannot be several options to choose from. The very first step, which is also the only correct one, is the patient’s timely contact with a specialist of the required profile. But first, you can simply visit a consultation with a therapist, who will determine which doctor to refer the patient to for further treatment. In an acute condition, the doctor may decide to urgently hospitalize the patient in a psychiatric hospital to conduct a special examination. The characteristics of visual hallucinations are of no small importance. In some cases, they frighten a person so much that he is in a state of stress. For example, some patients describe with horror various monsters, living dead people, and alien creatures.

Patients react somewhat calmer when visual hallucinations are expressed in the form of light flashes, falling stars, comets, etc. But in any case, such symptoms should be responded to immediately, as they indicate that the person is sick. Visual hallucinations are most often observed in patients with schizophrenia, although they can be caused by various depressive and reactive states. Scientists have found that a certain event in a person’s life can become a kind of impetus that provoked this disorder. Fans of various drugs and people who abuse alcohol are always at risk.

Visual hallucinations can be very dangerous. For example, a patient with a mental illness is sometimes sure that all these visions have a secret meaning and are sent to him as a chosen one who is entrusted with a special mission to save the world. Thus, a person does not resist the hallucinations that arise; moreover, he carefully hides the fact of their periodic occurrence, although he may be aware that everything he sees is unreal.

According to psychiatrists, there are visual hallucinations that are not a sign of a person’s mental health disorder and are not caused by bad habits or an unhealthy lifestyle. In this situation, we are talking about one type of hallucination, which is typical even for those who are adherents of a healthy lifestyle and are absolutely healthy. Such phenomena can occur when a person falls asleep, or, on the contrary, they make themselves felt in the first moments after waking up. Opening their eyes, some see a strange shaggy creature curled up on a chair.

But after a second it turns out that this is just a jumper that was left in this place the evening before. If such incidents sometimes happen to you or your loved ones, then there is no need to worry. Doctors believe that this is a normal phenomenon, and it is not necessary to immediately go to the clinic. The situation is different if the patient sees objects or things that are not actually present in this place. This is a serious reason to discuss your condition with a competent specialist. It should be taken into account that visual hallucinations are often caused by such a simple reason as taking certain medications taken regularly.

Such medications include not only psychotropic substances, but sometimes harmless drugs that people take to treat cardiovascular diseases; antibiotics, allergy medications, and many others are not entirely harmless in this regard. In this case, everything depends on the individual reaction of the body. Therefore, if you decide to see a doctor about visual hallucinations, then you need to make a list of medications you are currently taking and show it during a conversation with a psychiatrist. It often happens that the doctor simply cancels one of the drugs and recommends that you contact the doctor who prescribed this medicine so that he chooses a different method and finds an opportunity to use an analogue. In more complex situations, the patient will have to undergo a serious examination, which will identify the cause of the disorder and help prescribe adequate treatment.

A hallucination is the perception of something in the absence of an external stimulus, which has the properties of real perception. Hallucinations have properties such as brightness, materiality, and are perceived as objects (smells, sensations, etc.) located in external objective space. They are distinguished from related phenomena: sleep, which does not involve wakefulness; illusion, which involves distorted or misinterpreted real perception; imagination, which does not imitate real perception and is under human control; and pseudohallucination, which does not imitate real perception but is not under the person's control. Hallucinations are also distinguished from "delusional perception", in which correctly perceived and interpreted stimuli (that is, real perceptions) are given some additional (and usually absurd) meaning. Hallucinations can occur in any sensory modality - visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, tactile, proprioceptive, equilibryoceptive, nociceptive, thermoceptive and chronoceptive. The mild form of hallucinations is known as mental imbalance, and can be observed in most sensory modalities. For example, the person may hallucinate the movement of objects in peripheral vision, or the person may hear faint noises and/or voices. Auditory hallucinations are very common in schizophrenia. They can be benevolent (the patient hears good things) or malicious, cursing the person, etc. Auditory hallucinations of the malicious type are often heard, for example, as the voices of people talking about a person behind his/her back. As with auditory hallucinations, the source of visual hallucinations may also be behind the patient's back. Their visual analogue is the feeling that someone is looking at the patient, usually with malicious intent. Often, auditory hallucinations and their visual counterpart are experienced together. Hypnagogic hallucinations and hypnopompic hallucinations are considered normal. Hypnagogic hallucinations can occur when a person falls asleep, while hypnopompic hallucinations occur when a person wakes up. Hallucinations may be associated with drug use (particularly anticholinergic hallucinogens), sleep deprivation, psychosis, neurological disorders, and delirium tremens. The word "hallucination" was introduced into English in the 17th century by the physician Sir Thomas Browne in 1646, as a derivative of the Latin word alucinari, meaning "to wander in the mind."

Classification

Hallucinations can appear in various forms. Different forms of hallucinations affect different senses and sometimes occur simultaneously, creating multiple sensory hallucinations in patients who experience them.

Visual hallucinations

A visual hallucination is “the perception of an external visual stimulus that does not actually exist.” On the other hand, a visual illusion is a distortion of a real external stimulus. Visual hallucinations are divided into simple and complex. Simple visual hallucinations (SVH) are also referred to as unformed visual hallucinations and elementary visual hallucinations. These terms refer to light, color, geometric shapes and homogeneous objects. They can be divided into phosphenes, which are PVGs without structure, and photopsia, PVGs with geometric structures. Complex visual hallucinations (CVH) are also called formed visual hallucinations. SZGs are clear, realistic images or scenes such as people, animals, objects, etc. For example, the patient may hallucinate a giraffe. A simple visual hallucination is an amorphous figure that may have a shape or color similar to that of a giraffe (looking like a giraffe), while a complex visual hallucination is a discrete, realistic image of a giraffe.

Auditory hallucinations

Auditory hallucinations (also known as paracusis) are the perception of sound without an external stimulus. Auditory hallucinations are the most common type of hallucination. Auditory hallucinations can be divided into two categories: elementary and complex. Elementary hallucinations are the perception of sounds, such as hissing, whistling, drawn-out tone, and much more. In many cases, tinnitus is a simple auditory hallucination. However, some people who experience certain types of tinnitus, especially pulsatile tinnitus, actually hear blood rushing through the vessels near the ear. Since there is an auditory stimulus in this situation, this case does not qualify as a hallucination. Complex hallucinations – hallucinations of voices, music or other sounds that may or may not be perceived clearly, may be familiar or completely unfamiliar, friendly or aggressive. Hallucinations of one individual person, one or more speaking voices, are particularly associated with psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia, and are of particular importance in the diagnosis of these conditions. If a group of people experiences a complex auditory hallucination, no one person can be labeled psychotic or schizophrenic. Another typical disorder in which auditory hallucinations are common is dissociative identity disorder. In schizophrenia, voices are usually perceived as coming from outside the person, but in dissociative disorders they are perceived as occurring within the person, commenting on events in their head rather than behind their back. Differential diagnosis between schizophrenia and dissociative disorders is complicated by the multitude of overlapping symptoms. However, many people who do not suffer from a diagnosable mental illness may also sometimes hear voices. One important example to consider when forming a differential diagnosis for a patient with paracusis is lateral temporal lobe epilepsy. Despite the tendency to associate the perception of voices or other hallucinations with psychosis and schizophrenia or other mental illnesses, it is extremely important to take into account that even if a person exhibits psychotic traits, he/she does not necessarily suffer from a mental disorder. Disorders such as Wilson's disease, various endocrine diseases, numerous metabolic disorders, multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, porphyria, sarcoidosis, and many others may occur along with psychosis. Musical hallucinations are also relatively common in terms of complex auditory hallucinations, and can result from a wide range of causes ranging from hearing loss (eg, music hearing syndrome, an auditory version of Charles Bonnet syndrome), lateral temporal lobe epilepsy, arteriovenous malformation, stroke, focal lesion , abscess or tumor. Hearing Voices Movement is a support and advocacy group for people who hear hallucinations of voices but do not otherwise show signs of mental illness or impairment. High caffeine consumption was associated with an increased likelihood of auditory hallucinations. A study carried out at La Trobe University's School of Psychological Sciences found that as little as five cups of coffee a day (approximately 500mg of caffeine) can cause this phenomenon.

Imperative hallucinations

Imperative hallucinations are hallucinations in the form of commands; they may be auditory or occur within the person's mind and/or consciousness. The content of hallucinations can range from harmless commands to orders to harm yourself or others. Urgent hallucinations are often associated with schizophrenia. People experiencing such hallucinations may or may not comply with the hallucination's demands, depending on the circumstances. Compliance is often observed in the case of nonviolent commands. Imperative hallucinations are sometimes used as a defense in cases of crime, often murder. Essentially, it is a voice that can be heard and it tells the listener what to do. Sometimes the commands are quite “benign” instructions, such as “get up” or “close the door.” It doesn't matter whether this command is an indication of something simple or a threat, it is still considered a "imperative hallucination". Some useful questions that can help determine whether a person is experiencing this type of hallucination include: “What are the voices telling you to do?” “When did the voices first start giving you instructions?” “Do you recognize the person who is telling you to do things?” harming yourself (others)?”, “In your opinion, can you resist doing what the voices tell you to do?” Patients sometimes refer to imperative hallucinations as instructions. Typically, initiating these commands in patients results in lifestyle changes, such as quitting work if a voice tells them to do so. Many patients consider these commands to be supernatural phenomena because these commands seem meaningful to them. When imperative hallucinations are associated with schizophrenia, the person may hear many unpleasant things. Instructions or commands may, for example, involve yelling at someone or telling someone something specific. A patient suffering from imperative hallucinations has no choice but to comply. Some claim that when they are given instructions, they feel their shoulders tighten and they have no choice but to act on command. The voice may order, for example, to hit one of the patient's family members. Urgent hallucinations are a recurring phenomenon. In addition, the voice may tell the patient to keep in touch with specific people, for example by sending them emails or calling them on the phone, without any specific purpose.

Olfactory hallucinations

Phantosmia (olfactory hallucinations) is the perception of an odor that does not actually exist. Parosmia is the inhalation of a real odor but the perception of it as a different odor, a distortion of the odor (olfactory system), which, in most cases, is not caused by anything serious, and usually goes away on its own over time. This can be the result of a number of conditions, such as nasal infections, nasal polyps, dental problems, migraines, traumatic brain injuries, seizures, strokes or brain tumors. Sometimes these hallucinations are caused by environmental influences, such as smoking, exposure to certain types of chemicals (such as insecticides or solvents), or radiation treatment for head or neck cancer. Olfactory hallucinations can also be a symptom of certain mental disorders, such as depression, bipolar disorder, intoxication or withdrawal symptoms after drug and alcohol withdrawal, or psychotic disorders (such as schizophrenia). The odors experienced are generally unpleasant and are often described as smelling like burning, garbage or rot.

Tactile hallucinations

Tactile hallucinations are the illusion of tactile sensory input, simulating various types of effects on the skin or other organs. A subtype of tactile hallucinations, goosebumps are the sensation of insects crawling under the skin and are often associated with long-term cocaine use. However, goosebumps can also be the result of normal hormonal changes such as menopause, or disorders such as peripheral neuropathy, fever, Lyme disease, skin cancer, and more.

Taste hallucinations

This type of hallucination involves the perception of taste in the absence of a stimulus. These hallucinations, which are usually strange or unpleasant, are quite common among individuals who have certain types of focal epilepsy, especially temporal lobe epilepsy. The areas of the brain responsible for taste hallucinations in this case are the insula of Reille and the Sylvian fissure.

General somatic sensations

General somatic sensations of a hallucinogenic nature are experienced when a person feels that his body is disfigured, i.e. twisted, torn or gutted. Other reports involve cases of animals invading human internal organs, such as a snake in the stomach or a frog in the rectum. The general feeling of decay of the flesh is also classified under this type of hallucination.

Cause

Hallucinations can be caused by a number of factors.

Hypnotic hallucinations

These hallucinations occur just before falling asleep and affect a high percentage of the population. In one survey, 37% of respondents said they experience hallucinations twice a week. Hallucinations can last from a few seconds to several minutes; all this time the person, as a rule, remains aware of the true nature of the images. They may be associated with narcolepsy. Hypnagogic hallucinations are sometimes associated with brainstem abnormalities, but this is rare.

Peduncular hallucinosis

Peduncular means “pertaining to the cerebral peduncle,” which is the neural tract extending from and into the pons of the brainstem. These hallucinations tend to occur in the evening, but not during sleep, as is the case with hypnotic hallucinations. The patient is usually fully conscious. As with hypnagogic hallucinations, the understanding of the nature of the images remains intact. False images can occur in any part of the visual field and are rarely multimodal.

Alcohol delirium

One of the most puzzling forms of visual hallucinations is multimodal delirium. Individuals suffering from delirium tremens may appear agitated and confused, especially in the later stages of the disease. The ability to gain insight gradually decreases as the disease progresses. Sleep is disrupted and occurs over a shorter period of time, with rapid eye movement sleep.

Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies

Parkinson's disease is related to Lewy body dementia due to similar hallucinatory symptoms. Symptoms begin to appear in the evening in any part of the visual field, and are rarely multimodal. The transition to hallucination may begin with illusions, when sensory perception is greatly distorted, but no new sensory information is received. They usually last for several minutes, during which the subject may be either conscious and normal or drowsy/unavailable. The person's awareness of these hallucinations is usually preserved, and REM sleep is usually reduced. Parkinson's disease is usually associated with a degraded substantia nigra pars compacta, but recent evidence suggests that Parkinson's disease affects the number of areas in the brain. Some areas with marked degradation include the median raphe nuclei, noradrenergic portions of the locus coeruleus, and cholinergic neurons in the parabrachial region and pedunculopontine nucleus of the tegmentum.

Migraine coma

This type of hallucination is usually observed during recovery from a coma. Migraine coma can last up to two days, and is sometimes accompanied by a state of depression. Hallucinations occur during a state of full consciousness, and awareness of the hallucinatory nature of the images is maintained. It has been noted that migraine coma is accompanied by ataxic lesions.

Charles Bonnet syndrome

Charles Bonnet syndrome is the name given to visual hallucinations experienced by a person with partially or severely impaired vision. Hallucinations can happen at any time and can affect people of any age as they may not initially be aware that they are hallucinating. Patients may have concerns about the state of their own mental health, which is why they may not tell loved ones about their hallucinations for a long time. Hallucinations can be frightening and confusing for patients because they become confused about what is real and what is not, and caregivers need to learn how to support patients. Hallucinations can sometimes be "dispelled" by eye movements, or perhaps simply by logic, such as "I see fire, but there is no smoke and no heat from it" or perhaps "we were attacked by rats, but these rats pink ribbons with a bell tied around the neck.” Over months and years, the appearance of hallucinations may change and they may become more or less frequent, along with changes in the ability to see. The length of time a person may suffer from these hallucinations with deteriorating vision varies depending on the underlying wear rate of the eyes. Differential diagnosis: ophthalmopathic hallucinations.

Focal epilepsy

Visual hallucinations due to a focal epileptic seizure vary depending on the area of the brain in which the seizure occurs. For example, visual hallucinations during occipital lobe epilepsy typically involve brightly colored visions, geometric shapes that may move across the visual field, multiply, or form concentric rings, and typically last from a few seconds to several minutes. They, as a rule, are unilateral in nature and localized in one part of the visual field on the opposite side of the convulsive focus. However, unilateral visions moving horizontally across the visual field begin on the contralateral side and move toward the ipsilateral side. Epileptic seizures, on the other hand, can produce complex visual hallucinations of people, scenes, animals, and more, as well as distortions in visual perception. Complex hallucinations may appear real or unreal, may or may not be distorted in size, and may appear disturbing or welcoming, among other things. One rare but notable type of hallucination is heautoscopy, a hallucination of a mirror image of oneself. These “other self-images” may be completely stationary or performing complex tasks, may represent a younger self-image or a real-life image of the patient, and are usually only present for a short time. Complex hallucinations are relatively rare in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy. Rarely, they may be observed during focal seizures or seizures in the parietal lobe. Visual distortions during temporal lobe seizures may include size distortion (micropsia or macropsia), distorted perception of motion (where moving objects may move very slowly or be completely still), the sensation that surfaces such as ceilings and even entire horizons are moving on, similar to Hitchcock's zoom effect, and other illusions. Even when consciousness is damaged, the understanding that the hallucination or illusion is unreal usually remains.

Hallucinations caused by hallucinogens

Sometimes hallucinations are caused by the use of psychoactive substances, such as anticholinergic hallucinogens, psychedelics, and certain stimulants, which are known to cause visual and auditory hallucinations. Some psychedelics, such as lysergic acid diethylamide and psilocybin, can cause hallucinations. Some of these drugs can be used in psychotherapy to treat mental disorders, drug addiction, anxiety, and are used secondarily in advanced stages of cancer.

Hallucinations caused by sensory deprivation

Hallucinations can be caused by sensory deprivation when it occurs over long periods of time, and almost always occur when some modality disappears (visual hallucinations when blindfolded/in the dark, auditory hallucinations when deafened, etc.).

Experimentally induced hallucinations

Abnormal experiences, such as so-called benign hallucinations, can occur in a person in good mental and physical health, even in the apparent absence of a trigger such as fatigue, intoxication, or sensory deprivation. It is now widely accepted that hallucinatory experiences are not only the preserve of persons suffering from mental illness or normal persons in abnormal states, but that they occur spontaneously in a large proportion of the normal population who are in good health and not under special stress or stress. in other atypical circumstances. Evidence for this claim has accumulated over more than a hundred years. Research into benign hallucinatory experiences began in 1886, with early work by the Society for Psychical Research, which reported that approximately 10% of the population had experienced at least one hallucinatory episode during their lifetime. Later studies confirmed these findings; the exact frequency varies depending on the nature of the episode as well as the criteria for "hallucinations", but the main conclusion is now well supported.

Pathophysiology

Visual hallucinations

Sometimes internal imagery can suppress sensory input from external stimuli when neural pathways are shared, or if ambiguous stimuli are perceived in accordance with expectations or beliefs, especially about the environment. This can lead to hallucinations, and this effect is sometimes used to create optical illusions. There are three pathophysiological mechanisms thought to be associated with complex visual hallucinations. These mechanisms include:

Irritation of cortical centers responsible for processing visual information (for example, convulsive activity). Irritation of the primary visual cortex causes simple elementary visual hallucinations.

Lesions that cause deafferentation of the visual system can lead to a cortical release phenomenon that causes visual hallucination.

The activating reticular system has been linked to the genesis of visual hallucinations.

Some specific classifications include: elementary hallucinations, which may include clicks, spots, and beams of light (called phosphenes). Hallucinations with eyes closed in the dark are common when taking psychedelic drugs (ie, LSD, mescaline). Scenic or “panoramic” hallucinations that do not overlap, but vividly replace the entire field of vision with hallucinatory content, similar to dreams; Such picturesque hallucinations may occur in epilepsy (in which they tend to be stereotypical and experiential in nature), hallucinogen use, and, more rarely, in catatonic schizophrenia, mania, and brainstem lesions, among others. Visual hallucinations can be caused by prolonged visual deprivation. In a study in which 13 healthy subjects were blindfolded for 5 days, 10 of the 13 subjects reported visual hallucinations. This finding lends strong support to the idea that simple loss of normal visual information is sufficient to cause visual hallucinations.

Psychodynamic point of view

Various theories have been put forward to explain the occurrence of hallucinations. When psychodynamic (Freudian) theories were popular in psychology, hallucinations were considered projections of unconscious desires and thoughts. As biological theories have become generally accepted, hallucinations have become more commonly thought (at least by psychologists) to be caused by a functional deficit in the brain. With regard to mental illness, the function (or dysfunction) of the neurotransmitters glutamate and dopamine are thought to be particularly important. The Freudian interpretation may have an aspect of truth, since the biological hypothesis explains the physical interactions in the brain, while the Freudian interpretation posits psychological complexes associated with the content of hallucinations, such as the hallucination of voices haunting a person due to feelings of guilt. According to psychological research, hallucinations may result from systematic errors in so-called metacognitive abilities.

Information Processing Perspective

These are abilities that allow us to monitor or infer our own internal psychological states (such as intentions, memories, beliefs and thoughts). The ability to distinguish between internal (self-generated) and external (stimuli) sources of information is considered an important metacognitive skill, but it can be impaired and cause hallucinatory experiences. Projecting an internal state (or a person's own reaction to another person's state) can manifest itself in the form of hallucinations, especially auditory hallucinations. A recent hypothesis that is now gaining acceptance concerns the role of hyperactive top-down processing, or highly perceived expectations, that may generate spontaneously perceived output (i.e., hallucination).

Stages of hallucinations

Biological Perspective

Auditory hallucinations

Auditory hallucinations are the most common type of hallucination. These include the perception of voices and music. In many cases, an individual suffering from auditory hallucinations will hear a voice or voices speaking their own thoughts out loud, commenting on the individual's actions, or ordering the person to do something. These voices tend to be negative and critical of the individual. People who suffer from schizophrenia and have auditory hallucinations often speak with this voice as if they are talking to another person.

Visual hallucinations

The most common modality when people talk about hallucinations involves seeing things that are not present in reality, or visual perceptions that are not related to physical reality. There are many different causes, which are classified as psychophysiological (disturbance of brain structure), psychobiochemical (disturbance of neurotransmitters), psychodynamic (penetration of the unconscious into consciousness), and psychological (for example, significant experiences of consciousness); this also occurs in Alzheimer's disease. Numerous disorders can include visual hallucinations, ranging from psychotic disorders to dementia and migraines, but visual hallucinations alone do not necessarily indicate the presence of a disorder. Visual hallucinations are associated with organic brain disorders and drug and alcohol use disorders and are generally not considered to be the result of a mental disorder.

Schizoid hallucinations

Hallucinations may be caused by schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a mental disorder associated with the inability to distinguish between real and unreal experiences, think logically, have contextually appropriate emotions, and function in social situations.

Neuroanatomical correlates

Common everyday procedures, such as MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), have been used to learn more about auditory and verbal hallucinations. “Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) have been used to study the pathophysiology of auditory/verbal hallucinations (AVH).” Looking at MRIs of patients, "lower levels of hallucination-related activation in Broca's area predicted greater response to left temporal rTMS." We can achieve a better understanding of why hallucinations occur in the brain by understanding emotions and cognitions and how they can prompt physical responses that can lead to hallucinations. It has been found that hallucinations in schizophrenia are associated with differences in the morphology of the parasingulate sulcus.

Hallucinations are false, distorted sensory experiences that appear to be real perceptions. The English word "hallucination" comes from the Latin verb hallucinari, which means "to wander in the mind." These are emotional experiences that are generated by the mind, and not by any external stimuli. They are olfactory, visual, auditory and tactile.

It is important to distinguish between hallucinations and illusions (delusions), the terms are often confused in popular journalism. Hallucination is a distortion of sensory perception that is perceived as reality. For example, older people often have visions of dead loved ones. An illusion is an erroneous or false interpretation of real events. For example, a traveler in the desert sees a pool of water, but in fact, this is just a mirage caused by the refraction of light as it passes through layers of air of different densities. The bluish color is a real sensory stimulus, and the perception of it as water is an illusion.

A delusion is a false belief that a person maintains despite evidence to the contrary. For example, some claim that they saw unidentified flying objects, although these could be ordinary airplanes, weather balloons, or satellites.

Symptoms of hallucinations

It is difficult to describe “typical” hallucinations, as they vary in duration, quality, and how patients experience them. Some visions last only a few seconds. However, some patients with Charles Bonnet syndrome experienced visual hallucinations for several days. In people taking psychotropic drugs, they lasted several hours.

There is not always a connection between cause and emotional response. Only 13% of patients rate them as pleasant, and 30% find them terrible. Most patients with narcolepsy, alcoholic hallucinosis, or PTSD report unpleasant, frightening hallucinations.

They occur after emotional stress, stress, medications, severe fatigue or mental illness, during periods of consciousness. Appear as visions, sounds, voices, tactile sensations, smells, sounds. Patients suffering from dementia and schizophrenia experience fear of hallucinations. Visions are possible in healthy people after nervous overload, fatigue, or caused intentionally by taking drugs or meditation.

Statistics

Many researchers believe that statistics are underestimated for several reasons:

Fear of being branded “crazy”;
Some types, mainly in the elderly, have not been sufficiently studied;
Many people are afraid to admit to taking drugs.

Based on a few studies (13 thousand adults surveyed) in 2000, the following statistics are known:

6% of adults experience once a month, 2% - once a week;
27% experience hallucinations during the day;
3% experience tactile hallucinations, 3% visual, 0.6% auditory. Tactile, associated with drug use.

There is no evidence that hallucinations occur more often in certain ethnic groups and are not associated with gender. Demographic characteristics are as follows:

The child has. Hallucinations occur in children under eight years of age. About 40% have schizophrenia (all types), the child has visual or auditory predominance;
Eye diseases – 14% of patients receiving medications for glaucoma or age-related macular degeneration experienced distinct vision vision;
Alzheimer's disease - in 40% in the later stages;
Addiction. Among schoolchildren and students, hallucinogens are the third most consumed drug (after marijuana and alcohol). The highest level is in the Caucasus, in men aged 18-25 years;
In healthy people, they occur during the transition from wakefulness to sleep or vice versa. This condition is not considered pathological;
Migraine. 10% of patients experience visual visions before the onset of an attack;
Epilepsy. 80% of sufferers experience visual, olfactory, and auditory disturbances before an attack;
Post-traumatic – after traumatic injuries, 60% experience auditory injuries.

Auditory disorders can be in the form of individual sounds or verbal - commenting, threatening, ordering. The patient listens, unable to resist. Sometimes they end in criminal acts or suicide.

Visual are the second most common, after speech. They can be elementary (flashes, smoke) or objective: visions of animals, imaginary characters, devils, landscapes, internal organs. Vision of plot scenes, duality of objects. Highlight:

Microscopic – objects and people of reduced size;
Macroscopic – gigantic visions;
Autoscopic – observation of one’s double;
Adelomorphic - distortion of the shape and color of objects;
Charles Bonnet - true distortions due to damage to the auditory or visual analyzer.

Olfactory – the sensation of unpleasant odors (the smell of a corpse) that do not exist. Accompanied by organic brain damage. Often appear together with taste.

Tactile - sensation on the body of insects, liquids, internal crawling of animals or insects. Occurs with lead poisoning, delirium, schizophrenia. These include the symptom of a “foreign body” - the sensation of a thread or wire in the mouth or other organs.

Kinesthetic - movement, against the will, of individual parts of the body.

With infectious, inflammatory lesions of the brain, hallucinosis occurs - olfactory, visual visions combined with delirium against the background of clear consciousness.

There is atherosclerotic hallucinosis in the elderly, which is accompanied by dementia, memory loss, and apathy. Perceptions relate to everyday problems and objects. More common in women.

A child’s visions are associated with knowledge of the world around him. For young children, this process of getting to know reality is considered normal. Such conditions are still being studied.

Causes of hallucinations

Various reasons are offered for explanation, but none are common to all groups of patients. Common reasons:

Drugs. Hallucinogens – ecstasy, mushrooms, LSD. Other drugs, like marijuana, have hallucinatory effects. Withdrawal of these drugs can cause visual and tactile visions, just like in alcoholics - delirium tremens. Some teenagers know how to induce hallucinations by inhaling solvents, acetone or certain types of glue.
Stress. Severe and prolonged stress leads to impaired consciousness.
Insomnia and/or exhaustion. Physical and emotional exhaustion blurs the line between sleep and wakefulness.
Meditation and/or sensory deprivation. The brain compensates for the lack of external stimulation with memories of the subject. This species occurs in blind and deaf people.
Electrical or neurochemical brain activity. Sensory sensations, an aura, appear before a migraine attack. Olfactory and tactile auras warn of the onset of an epileptic attack.
Various types of mental illnesses, of which 70% suffer from schizophrenia.
Injuries and inflammations of the brain due to impaired brain function.

Diagnostics

Differential diagnosis can be difficult, but the history helps the doctor narrow down the list of possible diagnoses. If the patient is brought to the hospital unconscious, the accompanying persons can provide the necessary information. Before a psychiatric examination, it is necessary to perform a medical examination, which includes:

Lab tests;
X-ray examination;
Neurological examination.

If a person is suspected of having dementia, mental illness, or delusions, the doctor will perform a standard mental status assessment. It is based on the following features:

Patient's appearance;
Cognitive, speech skills;
Content of thinking;

The scale assesses the condition: delirium, dementia, schizophrenia, severe depression. In older patients, medical evaluation includes specialized psychiatric consultation as well as routine vision and hearing screening.

Treatment of hallucinations

Hallucinations are a manifestation of the underlying disease. Depending on this, treatment consists of anticonvulsants, antidepressants, psychotropic drugs, neurosurgical and otolaryngological methods, as well as drug addiction therapy. Visions associated with normal sleep and wakefulness are not subject to specialized treatment.

Psychiatric patients should be treated by a psychiatrist. Psychotropic drugs are prescribed: tizercin, haloperidol, relanium. Single, transient episodes can be attributed to short-term factors: sleep disturbance, overwork, meditation. You can do without treatment.

However, if the general condition cannot recover on its own, you need to consult a therapist or psychologist. It is necessary to determine the cause and create a treatment plan.

Forecast

Chronic visions caused by schizophrenia or other mental illnesses can usually be controlled with medication. If the visions do not disappear, the patient should be taught the correct attitude towards them. Disorders associated with lack of sleep or severe stress cease after the cause is eliminated.