Diagnostics

What causes hallucinations? How to get rid of hallucinations

Hallucinations are mainly treated with medication. Violation of the perception of reality without an external stimulus is called hallucinations. The subconscious produces images or speech signals that do not actually exist. False perception or hallucinations can be caused by severe fatigue, alcohol abuse, taking psychotropic drugs, or poisoning with toxic substances. Perceptual impairment is often observed in older people suffering from mental pathologies. Prerequisites for the occurrence of hallucinations may include: a previous stroke; neuropsychiatric disorders; delirium; schizophrenia; dementia of the brain; long-term use of psychoactive drugs. Treatment for hallucinations directly depends on the cause of this mental disorder. The fact that a person has hallucinations is indicated by the patient’s strange behavior, expressed in laughter, crying or unusual actions. Hallucinations in older people require special treatment, since with age chronic diseases appear that can provoke various mental disorders.

Symptoms and treatment of hallucinations in older adults

Hallucinations in older people are often present in parkinsonism. The disease becomes stable in schizophrenia and neuroses that usually accompany Alzheimer's disease. More often, auditory (verbal) hallucinations are observed, which are expressed in the fact that a person can hear phrases or individual words, sometimes threatening for the person himself or others. Treatment methods for auditory hallucinations can vary significantly depending on the causes of the disease. Visual hallucinations involve a person seeing non-existent objects or scenes. The patient can see, for example, a person who is not in the room. In cases of delirium tremens, the patient may experience increased hallucinations as a result of pressure on the area eyeballs. Treatment of visual hallucinations during bright severe symptoms carried out in a hospital, the doctor may prescribe antipsychotics, tranquilizers, and sedatives. Tactile hallucinations are expressed in the feeling of touching the body; sometimes the patient thinks that someone is crawling under his skin. At senile dementia or diseases nervous system The presence of tactile hallucinosis with a chronic course is noted. Treatment of hallucinations of unknown origin is aimed at stopping attacks. Olfactory hallucinations are a type of psychosis in which the patient perceives an odor that is not present in reality. This mental disorder is common in patients with schizophrenia. Treatment of olfactory hallucinations is long and complex, but first of all, to identify the provoking factor, you need to contact a neurologist.

Hallucinations in older people, what to do and what treatment will help?

Treatment of senile hallucinations should be carried out under the supervision of several doctors at once; in order to identify the triggering cause of the mental disorder, it is necessary to collect a complete history and conduct a thorough diagnosis. In some cases, the patient may experience all types of hallucinations. Treatment of hallucinations in the elderly involves stopping the attacks and eliminating annoying aspects. Antipsychotic drugs are generally prescribed to treat hallucinations. In some cases, detoxification therapy is necessary. Treatment of hallucinations after a stroke requires a special approach, since hallucinations may appear due to the use of potent medications, but in any case it is important to undergo full diagnostics. In the treatment of mental disorders, the leading role belongs to individual approach to the patient. Elderly people should be supervised by relatives or medical professionals. The patient needs to create a safe environment and protect him from unrest. Treatment of hallucinations should be supervised by a doctor; in case of exacerbation, urgent hospitalization may be required. With senile dementia, the good attitude of family and friends is important for the patient; it must be remembered that inappropriate behavior is not a character trait, but symptoms of the disease. Treatment of hallucinations folk remedies prohibited, you can easily aggravate an already serious condition. It is worth remembering that it is impossible to cure this disease on your own; you must immediately consult a doctor who will select the optimal treatment.

Hallucinations occur as a result of errors or malfunctions in the functioning of certain sense organs. They are characterized by the perception of non-existent objects, imaginary perception, as well as its errors. This means that a person can see, feel or hear something that is not really there.

It is a known fact that humanity still does not have much knowledge about the functioning of the brain. Hallucinations belong to the realm of unknown phenomena, among which there are still many unusual and mysterious. The brain shows us something that doesn’t really exist, makes us hear voices that don’t exist. Thanks to this, hallucinations have been known since ancient times. Of course, all this was perceived somewhat differently: among many peoples, priests and shamans deliberately consumed various mushrooms and plants in order to fall into a trance and, for example, communicate with deceased relatives of fellow tribesmen or revered deities. The attitude towards such hallucinogenic drugs was appropriate: ornaments and statues of mushrooms are often found in many temples, which indicates a widespread belief among the ancients about their divine origin. Such drugs were widely used by the Mayan Indians in both religious and medical purposes as a pain reliever.

History also knows cases of the use of hallucinations in art, culture and science. A large number of world famous talented people caused them in one way or another (alcohol, periodic psychoses and opium use). Oddly enough, it was very effective: masterpieces by Edgar Allan Poe, Gogol, Yesenin, Vincent van Gogh, Vrubel, Chopin, as well as the developments of the laureate Nobel Prize John Forbes Nash speaks for itself. Truly incredible can be the result of the creativity of geniuses who have been exposed to a psychopathic process, as a result of which the world of perceptions, real and spiritual, are intertwined. The only sad thing is that this is accompanied by gradual degradation and, as a result, complete devastation.

There are several types of hallucinations associated with different senses: visual, muscular, gustatory, visceral and olfactory.

Causes of hallucinations, symptoms.

Hallucinations, associated with the organs of vision, are characterized by the patient’s vision of various images or scenes that do not exist in reality, in which he can take part.

They may appear as a result of alcohol poisoning (one of the symptoms of delirium tremens), the use of drugs or psychostimulants (for example, LSD, hashish, opium, cocaine and a number of others), M-anticholinergic drugs (scopalamine, phenothiazines, orphenadrine, toxins of some plants and mushrooms), as well as certain organic tin structures. Visual, along with auditory hallucinations, are inherent in some diseases. These include, for example, peduncular hallucinosis.

"Voice from Above", orders and praise from invisible friends, calls - all this refers to auditory hallucinations, often coming along with alcoholic hallucinosis, poisoning and simple partial seizures.

The sensation of non-existent odors is characteristic of olfactory hallucinations, which occur in schizophrenia, which often makes patients feel unpleasant odors - rot, rottenness, and so on. They can also be caused by damage to the brain, namely its temporal lobe. Herpetic, as well as partial seizures can add taste hallucinations to the olfactory ones, during which patients feel a pleasant or disgusting taste in the mouth. Naturally, the taste stimulus is unreal.

Tactile hallucinations manifest themselves in the sensation of objects that do not actually exist. The cause is alcohol withdrawal syndrome. It is also accompanied by auditory and visual visions.

During bodily hallucinations, the patient feels various unpleasant sensations, for example, passing through the body electric current. This may also include touching the body, grabbing limbs, or the sensation of bubbles bursting in the intestines. Observed in diseases such as schizophrenia and.

In addition to differentiation according to the source of occurrence, hallucinations are divided into true and false. With true hallucinations, a person is an observer from the outside; the images he sees exist in an exact projection of existing reality. The peculiarity of false hallucinations is that they do not go beyond the patient’s head and are projected exclusively in it. This means that the senses are not involved in such hallucinations.

Hallucinations can be either simple or complex. With simple hallucinations, the functioning of only one of the senses is disrupted, while with complex hallucinations, at least two are captured. This means that if a little devil comes to visit you one day, you will not only see his visual image, but you will also feel the cold chilling your muscles and will be able to have a heart-to-heart chat with him. Complex hallucinations can only occur with a certain level of self-hypnosis, mental state and human complexes. Personal characteristics also matter.

Diseases that cause hallucinations

The cause of hallucinations can be many diseases, for example the already mentioned schizophrenia. This also includes alcoholic psychosis, or brain tumors, drug poisoning, hypothermia, and so on.

When hallucinatory - paranoid syndrome a person perceives as reality things that seem to him during hallucinations. The nature of the visions is usually delusional and joyless - murder, cruelty, threats and violence. Causes of development: brain, schizophrenia, alcoholic psychoses.

Persistent and well-defined hallucinations occur with hallucinosis, which most often accompanies syphilis and alcoholism.

Hallucinations – red elephants.

True visual hallucinations, delusions and motor restlessness appear in one of the alcoholic psychoses - alcoholic delirium. It is a consequence of a hangover or refusal to drink alcohol. It all starts with relatively harmless illusions and gradually develops into visits to the patient by devils, various insects and animals, as well as imaginary people. As a rule, the matter does not end with visual hallucinations, and auditory, tactile and olfactory ones are added to them. As a result, the patient’s movements and spoken nonsense are completely subordinated to visions.

Characteristic features of alcoholic hallucinosis are auditory hallucinations , insomnia, sudden anxiety and uncontrollable fear. The patient feels threatened by his delusional perception of the real world. Usually the voices swear and argue with each other, as a result of which the feeling of fear gradually intensifies and forces the patient to flee. Most often, hallucinosis is caused by prolonged drinking. IN various forms can last from two days to six months.

With chronic tactile hallucinosis, the patient constantly feels crawling on the surface of the body, as well as worms in the case of organic damage brain or in psychoses associated with aging of the body.

Sometimes, when poisoned by tetraethyl lead contained in leaded gasoline, a psychotic state may occur. It is usually accompanied by hallucinatory experiences and disorders of consciousness.

Syphilis of the brain accompanied by hallucinations, manifested in the form of sounds, shouts, and unpleasant visual images.

Hallucinations caused by long-term use drugs are a mixture of terrible unreal visions, auditory deceptions, paranoia and jealousy.

Cardiovascular decompensation vascular diseases changes the patient's mood, causes a feeling of fear, unfounded anxiety, as well as insomnia and hallucinations. Welcome back to normal physical condition and the blood circulation process, all the above symptoms disappear.

In diseases of a rheumatic nature, the patient suffers from intolerance, irritability, sleep disturbances, and sometimes influxes of hallucinations.

Malignant tumors can also cause auditory and visual hallucinations. Their development is influenced by the degree of toxicity of the disease, the level of exhaustion of the patient and the state of his brain, as well as the use of narcotic substances during treatment.

Many infectious diseases include various types of hallucinations in their list of symptoms. For example, typhoid and typhus, malaria and others. Until the temperature drops, delirium and illusory perception of the environment may occur.

Finally, it is worth mentioning amentia - the most severe form. Her characteristics– impaired synthesis of perceptions, thinking, speech, inability to navigate in space, severe hallucinations. Often the result of endogenous psychoses, caused, in turn, by trauma, infection or poisoning. For the patient it may end fatal, while survivors of amentia almost always suffer from memory loss.

The list of mushrooms that can cause hallucinations includes more than twenty different species growing in various parts of nature. Due to the neurotoxic poison they contain, eating such mushrooms is accompanied by the most different effects: from hallucinations to death. Almost always, use causes drug addiction.

Medicines that cause hallucinations

Some medications can cause hallucinations when taken. These include narcotic analgesics, sulfonamides, some anti-tuberculosis and anti-inflammatory drugs, as well as psychostimulants and tranquilizers.

Evaluation of a patient with hallucinations

When examining patients suffering from hallucinations, it should be taken into account that some of them are aware of the unreality of their visions, and some firmly believe in them. Scenes that correspond to reality are more believable. Let's say, communication with relatives. At the same time, some patients feel something like a signal indicating the appearance of a vision soon. Those in contact with the patient can determine his condition by strange behavior - movements, gestures, conversations with invisible interlocutors or with himself. If a person is inadequate and cannot independently assess his own condition, care should be taken to transport him to the nearest medical facility for a proper examination.

The main thing in the pre-medical stage is to ensure the safety of both the patient and the people around him, in order to prevent possible injuries.

Which doctors should I contact if hallucinations occur?

If hallucinations occur, you should make an appointment, first of all, with a psychiatrist. Then visit a narcologist and oncologist.

Treatment of hallucinations

Based on a disease, one of the symptoms of which is hallucinations, the patient is treated in individually. Hospitalization is required only during exacerbations. Severe hallucinations are treated with antipsychotics, tranquilizers or sedatives. Detoxification therapy is also carried out.

Consultation with a doctor on the topic of hallucinations

Question: if a person is completely healthy, can he have hallucinations?

Answer: Healthy people are characterized by illusions in which the perception of objects that actually exist is distorted. For example, the sound of pouring water can be mistaken for a conversation, any silhouette in the dark for a person, and so on. Illusions can be triggered by poisoning, infection in the body, or depletion.

It is a known fact that humanity still does not have much knowledge about the functioning of the brain. Hallucinations belong to the realm of unknown phenomena, among which there are still many unusual and mysterious. The brain shows us something that doesn’t really exist, makes us hear voices that don’t exist. Thanks to this, hallucinations have been known since ancient times. Of course, all this was perceived somewhat differently: among many peoples, priests and shamans deliberately consumed various mushrooms and plants in order to fall into a trance and, for example, communicate with deceased relatives of fellow tribesmen or revered deities. The attitude towards such hallucinogenic drugs was appropriate: ornaments and statues of mushrooms are often found in many temples, which indicates a widespread belief among the ancients about their divine origin. Such drugs were widely used by the Mayan Indians for both religious and medicinal purposes as an anesthetic.

History also knows cases of the use of hallucinations in art, culture and science. A large number of world-famous talented people caused them in one way or another (alcohol, schizophrenia, periodic psychosis and opium use). Oddly enough, it was very effective: the masterpieces of Edgar Allan Poe, Gogol, Yesenin, Vincent van Gogh, Vrubel, Chopin, as well as the developments of Nobel Prize winner John Forbes Nash speak for themselves. Truly incredible can be the result of the creativity of geniuses who have been exposed to a psychopathic process, as a result of which the world of perceptions, real and spiritual, are intertwined. The only sad thing is that this is accompanied by gradual degradation and, as a result, complete devastation.

There are several types of hallucinations associated with different senses: visual, muscular, gustatory, visceral and olfactory.

Causes of hallucinations

Hallucinations associated with the organs of vision are characterized by the patient seeing various images or scenes that do not exist in reality, in which he can take part.

May appear as a result of alcohol poisoning (one of the symptoms of delirium tremens), the use of drugs or psychostimulants (for example, LSD, hashish, opium, cocaine and a number of others), M-anticholinergic drugs (scopalamine, phenothiazines, orphenadrine, antidepressants, toxins of some plants and fungi), as well as certain organic tin structures. Visual, along with auditory hallucinations, are inherent in some diseases. These include, for example, peduncular hallucinosis.

“Voices from above,” orders and praise from invisible friends, calls—all of these are auditory hallucinations that often come with schizophrenia, alcoholic hallucinosis, poisoning, and simple partial seizures.

The sensation of non-existent odors is characteristic of olfactory hallucinations, which occur in schizophrenia, which often makes patients feel unpleasant odors - rot, rottenness, and so on. They can also be caused by damage to the brain, namely its temporal lobe. Herpetic encephalitis, as well as partial seizures, can add taste hallucinations to the olfactory ones, during which patients feel a pleasant or disgusting taste in the mouth. Naturally, the taste stimulus is unreal.

Hallucinations of a tactile nature manifest themselves in the sensation of objects that do not actually exist. The cause is alcohol withdrawal syndrome. It is also accompanied by auditory and visual visions.

During bodily hallucinations, the patient experiences various unpleasant sensations, for example, the passage of an electric current through the body. This may also include touching the body, grabbing limbs, or the sensation of bubbles bursting in the intestines. Observed in diseases such as schizophrenia and encephalitis.

In addition to differentiation according to the source of occurrence, hallucinations are divided into true and false. With true hallucinations, a person is an observer from the outside; the images he sees exist in an exact projection of existing reality. The peculiarity of false hallucinations is that they do not go beyond the patient’s head and are projected exclusively in it. This means that the senses are not involved in such hallucinations.

Hallucinations can be either simple or complex. With simple hallucinations, the functioning of only one of the senses is disrupted, while with complex hallucinations, at least two are captured. This means that if a little devil comes to visit you one day, you will not only see his visual image, but you will also feel the cold chilling your muscles and will be able to have a heart-to-heart chat with him. Complex hallucinations can only occur with a certain level of self-hypnosis, mental state and complexes of a person. Personal characteristics also matter.

Diseases that cause hallucinations

The cause of hallucinations can be many diseases, for example the already mentioned schizophrenia. This also includes epilepsy, alcoholic psychosis, syphilis or brain tumors, drug poisoning, hypothermia, and so on.

With hallucinatory-paranoid syndrome, a person perceives as reality things that seem to him during hallucinations. The nature of the visions is usually delusional and joyless - murder, cruelty, threats and violence. Causes of development: cerebral syphilis, schizophrenia, alcoholic psychoses.

Persistent and well-defined hallucinations occur with hallucinosis, which most often accompanies syphilis and alcoholism.

Hallucinations - red elephants.

True visual hallucinations, delusions and motor restlessness appear in one of the alcoholic psychoses - delirium delirium. It is a consequence of a hangover or refusal to drink alcohol. It all starts with relatively harmless illusions and gradually develops into visits to the patient by devils, various insects and animals, as well as imaginary people. As a rule, the matter does not end with visual hallucinations, and auditory, tactile and olfactory ones are added to them. As a result, the patient’s movements and spoken nonsense are completely subordinated to visions.

Characteristic features of alcoholic hallucinosis are auditory hallucinations, insomnia, sudden anxiety and uncontrollable fear. The patient feels threatened by his delusional perception of the real world. Usually the voices swear and argue with each other, as a result of which the feeling of fear gradually intensifies and forces the patient to flee. Most often, hallucinosis is caused by prolonged drinking. In various forms it can last from two days to six months.

With chronic tactile hallucinosis, the patient constantly feels crawling on the surface of the body, as well as worms in the case of organic brain damage or psychoses associated with aging of the body.

Sometimes, when poisoned by tetraethyl lead contained in leaded gasoline, a psychotic state may occur. It is usually accompanied by hallucinatory experiences and disorders of consciousness.

Syphilis of the brain is accompanied by hallucinations, manifested in the form of sounds, shouts, and unpleasant visual images.

Hallucinations caused by long-term drug use are a mixture of scary unreal visions, auditory deceptions, paranoia and jealousy.

Decompensation of cardiovascular diseases changes the patient’s mood, causes a feeling of fear, unreasonable anxiety, as well as insomnia and hallucinations. With the return to normal physical condition and the circulatory process, all the above symptoms disappear.

In diseases of a rheumatic nature, the patient suffers from intolerance, irritability, sleep disturbances, and sometimes influxes of hallucinations.

Malignant tumors can also cause auditory and visual hallucinations. Their development is influenced by the degree of toxicity of the disease, the level of exhaustion of the patient and the state of his brain, as well as the use of narcotic substances during treatment.

Finally, it is worth mentioning amentia, the most severe form of impaired consciousness. Its characteristic features are impaired synthesis of perceptions, thinking, speech, inability to navigate in space, and strong hallucinations. Often the result of endogenous psychoses, caused, in turn, by trauma, infection or poisoning. It can be fatal for the patient, while those who have experienced amentia almost always suffer from memory loss.

Hallucinogenic mushrooms

The list of mushrooms that can cause hallucinations includes more than twenty different species growing in various parts of nature. Due to the neurotoxic poison they contain, eating such mushrooms is accompanied by a variety of effects: from hallucinations to neuroses and death. Almost always, use causes drug addiction.

Medicines that cause hallucinations

Some medications can cause hallucinations when taken. These include narcotic analgesics, sulfonamides, some antidepressants, anti-tuberculosis and anti-inflammatory drugs, as well as psychostimulants and tranquilizers.

Evaluation of a patient with hallucinations

The main thing in the pre-medical stage is to ensure the safety of both the patient and the people around him, in order to prevent possible injuries.

Which doctors should I contact if hallucinations occur?

If hallucinations occur, you should make an appointment, first of all, with a neurologist and psychiatrist. Then visit a narcologist and oncologist.

Treatment of hallucinations

Based on the disease, one of the symptoms of which is hallucinations, the patient is treated individually. Hospitalization is required only during exacerbations. Severe hallucinations are treated with antipsychotics, tranquilizers or sedatives. Detoxification therapy is also carried out.

Consultation with a doctor on the topic of hallucinations

Question: if a person is completely healthy, can he have hallucinations?

Hallucinations - description and essence of the symptom, causes, types (auditory, visual, olfactory, gustatory, etc.), treatment. How do true hallucinations differ from illusions and pseudohallucinations? How to cause hallucinations?

Brief description and essence of the symptom

An understanding of the essence and scientific definition of hallucinations was made during the study of this problem within the framework of general development psychiatry. Thus, the translation of the Latin word “allucinacio” means “pipe dreams”, “idle chatter” or “nonsense”, which is quite far from the modern meaning of the term “hallucinations”. And the term “hallucinations” acquired its modern meaning only in the 17th century in the work of the Swiss physician Plater. But the final formulation of the concept of “hallucination,” which is still relevant today, was given only in the 19th century by Jean Esquirol.

A hallucination is a “vision” of a non-existent object on an object that actually exists in the surrounding space.
Pseudohallucination is the “seeing” of a non-existent object inside own body.
Illusion is the “seeing” of real-life objects distorted, with characteristics that they actually do not have (a coat is perceived as a hidden person, a chair is seen as a gallows, etc.).

The line between all these psychiatric terms is quite thin, but very significant from the point of view of the mechanisms of their development and the degree of violations mental sphere, which corresponds to each variant of the disorder of perception of the surrounding world.

What are hallucinations?

Currently, there are several classifications of hallucinations, which divide them into types depending on the various characteristics of the symptom. Let us consider the classifications that are most important for understanding the characteristics of hallucinations.

1. Associated hallucinations. They are characterized by the appearance of images with a certain logical sequence, for example, a stain on a chair predicts the appearance of flies from a water tap if a person tries to turn on the water.

2. Imperative hallucinations. They are characterized by the appearance of a commanding tone emanating from some surrounding objects. Typically, such an orderly tone commands a person to perform some action.

3. Reflex hallucinations. They are characterized by the appearance of a hallucination in another analyzer in response to the influence of a real stimulus on any analyzer (auditory, visual, etc.). For example, turning on the light (a stimulus for visual analyzer) causes an auditory hallucination in the form of voices, orders, the noise of a laser beam guidance installation, etc.

4. Extracampal hallucinations. They are characterized by going beyond the field of the given analyzer. For example, a person sees visual images that are hallucinations behind a wall, etc.

Auditory hallucinations (for example, a person hears voices, speech, or just individual sounds). Sounds can be loud or quiet, sporadic or constant, unclear or clear, familiar or strangers or objects, by nature - narrative, accusatory, imperative, by form - monologues, dialogues in different languages, and by localization - in front, behind, above, below relative to the person.

Visual hallucinations (the person sees something simple, such as spots, zigzags, flashes of light, or complex images, such as people, unknown non-existent creatures, as well as entire scenes and panoramas unfolding before his eyes, like in a movie). Visual hallucinations can be black and white, multi-colored, monochrome, transparent or colorless, moving or frozen, kaleidoscopic, panoramic or portrait, large, small or normal in size, threatening, accusing or neutral in nature.

Taste hallucinations (a person perceives a non-existent taste, for example, sweetness from chewing rubber, etc.).

Olfactory hallucinations (a person perceives odors that do not exist in reality, for example, rotten meat, beautiful perfume of a woman, etc.).

Tactile (tactile) hallucinations (feeling of any touch on the skin, heat, cold, etc.). These hallucinations may be located on or under the surface of the skin, and the person may perceive objects, insects, animals, ropes, heat, cold, touch, moisture, or grasping.

Visceral hallucinations (a person perceives certain objects inside his body, for example, some kind of implanted chip, worms, some kind of instrument, etc.). With these hallucinations, a person can see his own internal organs in normal or altered form, feel their movement inside the body, feel manipulation of the genitals (masturbation, rape, etc.), and also feel animate and inanimate objects inside the body.

Proprioceptive hallucinations (feeling of non-existent movements in the legs, arms and any other parts of the body).

Vestibular hallucinations (a feeling of a body position in space that does not correspond to reality, for example, a feeling of flight, constant rotation around its axis, etc.).

Complex hallucinations (sensations affecting several analyzers at the same time, for example, a feeling of a sweet taste from a spot sitting on a chair, etc.).

In addition, hallucinations are divided into the following types depending on their complexity:

The simplest hallucinations. Characterized by the incompleteness of the erroneously perceived image. For example, the simplest visual hallucinations include seeing spots, sparks, circles, rays, etc.; to the auditory - unclear rustling, creaking, the sound of steps, inarticulate sounds, syllables, shouts, pronouns, etc.
Object hallucinations. They are characterized by the completeness of the erroneously perceived image, affecting only one analyzer. For example, visual object hallucinations are animals, people, body parts, objects, etc.; auditory - these are words, commands, sentences, or even monologues or texts.
Complex hallucinations. They are characterized by the fact that several analyzers are involved in their formation, as a result of which a person sees entire scenes or panoramas, like in a movie. For example, a person can see mythical aliens and hear their speech, etc.

True hallucinations - video

Pseudohallucinations - video

Hallucinations - causes

The following conditions and diseases can be the causes of hallucinations:

Schizophrenia;
Epilepsy;
Psychosis;
Hallucinosis (alcoholic, prison, etc.);
Hallucinatory-delusional syndromes (paranoid, paraphrenic, paranoid, Kandinsky-Clerambault).

2. Somatic diseases:

Brain tumors and injuries;
Infectious diseases affecting the brain (meningitis, encephalitis, temporal arteritis, etc.);
Diseases that occur with severe fever (for example, typhus and typhoid fever, malaria, pneumonia, etc.);
Stroke;
Syphilis of the brain;
Cerebral atherosclerosis (cerebral atherosclerosis);
Cardiovascular diseases in the stage of decompensation (decompensated heart failure, decompensated heart defects, etc.);
Rheumatic diseases of the heart and joints;
Tumors localized in the brain;
Tumor metastases to the brain;
Poisoning various substances(for example, tetraethyl lead - a component of leaded gasoline).

3. Use of substances that affect the central nervous system:

Alcohol (hallucinations are especially pronounced in alcoholic psychosis, called “delirium tremens”);
Drugs (all opium derivatives, mescaline, crack, LSD, PCP, psilocycin, cocaine, methamphetamine);
Medicines (Atropine, drugs for Parkinson's disease, anticonvulsants, antibiotics and antiviral drugs, sulfonamides, anti-tuberculosis drugs, antidepressants, histamine blockers, antihypertensives, psychostimulants, tranquilizers);
Plants containing toxic substances, acting on the central nervous system (belladonna, dope, toadstool, fly agarics, etc.).

Hallucinations: causes, types and nature of the symptom, description of cases of hallucinations, connection with schizophrenia, psychosis, delirium and depression, similarities with dreams - video

Treatment

Treatment of hallucinations is based on eliminating causative factor, which provoked their appearance. In addition, in addition to therapy aimed at eliminating the causative factor, drug relief of hallucinations is carried out psychotropic drugs. Antipsychotics are most effective for relieving hallucinations (for example, Olanzapine, Amisulpride, Risperidone, Quetiapine, Mazeptil, Trisedyl, Haloperidol, Triftazin, Aminazine, etc.). The choice of a specific drug to relieve hallucinations is made by the doctor in each case individually, based on the characteristics of the patient, the combination of hallucinations with other symptoms of a mental disorder, previously used therapy, etc.

How to cause hallucinations?

To cause hallucinations, it is enough to eat hallucinogenic mushrooms (pale toadstool, fly agarics) or plants (belladonna, dope). You can also take drugs, alcohol in large quantities or drugs that have a hallucinogenic effect, in large dosages. All this will cause hallucinations. But simultaneously with the appearance of hallucinations, the body will be poisoned, which may require urgent medical attention, including resuscitation. In case of severe poisoning, death is quite likely.

Semantic hallucinations

Semantic Hallucinations is the name of a popular musical group. In medical terminology, such a concept does not exist.

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Pills for hallucinations

The appearance of hallucinations is a cause for concern not only for the person suffering from them, but also for his relatives. In some cases, they are considered a sign of severe mental disorders. In no case this situation cannot be ignored; you should consult a doctor who, with the help of medication correction, will improve the patient’s condition. Our article will tell you how to get rid of hallucinations using medications.

The occurrence of hallucinations requires immediate contact with a specialist. Most often, the responsibility for treatment falls on the shoulders of the patient’s relatives, since usually the latter do not understand the seriousness of the situation and are in no hurry to see a specialist. Before treating hallucinations, it is necessary to consult a doctor, who, before prescribing treatment, establishes the cause that caused this problem and, in accordance with it, establishes adequate therapy.

If this condition is caused by medications, then you should not only stop taking them, but also rid the body of intoxication. When auditory hallucinations occur simultaneously with visual ones, the patient must be hospitalized in a hospital. Today, there are different medications available to help treat different types of hallucinations.

Important! Before prescribing treatment for mental illness or dementia, the doctor must be warned, since some types of pills can worsen the course of the disease.

Neuroleptics

Therapy for hallucinations is most often carried out with the help of medications belonging to the group of antipsychotics, which cope with this problem quite successfully. Neuroleptics are psychotropic drugs intended to eliminate neurological and psychological problems. However, these medications have many side effects, although today there are antipsychotics modern generation, which are more secure than the previous one.

New generation drugs help not only cure hallucinations, but also relieve muscle tension, render soft hypnotic effect, clarify the thought process. The most popular drugs that help treat hallucinatory-delusional syndrome today include:

Abilify. Prescribed simultaneously with antidepressants for dementia, schizophrenia, depression. However, it must be remembered that this drug may cause increased anxiety. Typically, for schizophrenia, the drug is prescribed from 10 to 15 mg per day for treatment bipolar disorders The recommended dose ranges from 15 to 30 mg per day. The usual treatment course is from 1 to 3 months.

Contraindications for use are children under 16 years of age and individual intolerance to the drug. Patients also with cardiovascular diseases should be subject to special monitoring. Adverse reactions include dizziness, drowsiness, pneumonia, and decreased appetite.

Quetiapine. It is used according to the following scheme: on the first day, 50 mg is used, on the 2nd day - 100 mg, on the 3rd day - 200 mg, on the 4th day - 300 mg. The dosage then varies in mg per day. Elderly patients initially take 25 mg per day, then the dose is increased by 25 mg daily. The same dosage is also prescribed for patients with renal or liver failure.

These tablets for hallucinations are contraindicated for use if you are intolerant to them, in children under 18 years of age, or during breastfeeding. In patients with a history of convulsive phenomena or cardiovascular diseases, use should be carried out under the supervision of a physician. Treatment course is prescribed individually, based on the severity of the disease. Among side effects the most common are: insomnia, nausea, tachycardia, dizziness, delirium.

Etaperazine. Not indicated for endocarditis, brain disease, central nervous system disorders, during pregnancy, lactation, children under 12 years of age. This medicine used starting from 10 mg daily; if the patient has previously been treated with this drug, then 40 mg daily may be prescribed.

Then the daily dosage is increased to 80 mg and taken for a 4-month course. Etaperazine has many side effects, the most common of which are dizziness, muscle weakness, anxiety, increased blood pressure, nausea, tachycardia, frequent urination, fever, urticaria.

Tranquilizers

Often, treatment of hallucinations requires the use of tranquilizers that have a sedative effect. Tranquilizers relieve panic, anxiety, stress, depression, and help eliminate hallucinations. These drugs will help relieve internal tension without affecting cognitive processes. Tranquilizers for hallucinations are prescribed if the pathology is caused by an increased anxiety state. The most prescribed drugs include:

Gidazepam. Refers to “daytime” drugs that do not cause drowsiness. The usual dosage is 0.02 to 0.05 g three times a day. The duration of the course varies depending on the patient’s condition and ranges from 4 months. This drug Contraindicated in cases of kidney and liver pathology, muscle weakness, or employment at work that requires reaction speed. The most common side effects are dizziness, itching, decreased libido, and nausea.

Grandaxin. Used for increased tension, fear, autonomic disorder, decreased activity. Usually prescribed 5 mg. The average dosage for adults is 0.01 g three times with a typical therapeutic course of no more than 2 months.

If necessary, subsequent repetition of the use of the drug is possible after 1 month. The most common side effects include various digestive disorders and itching. Contraindications for the use of Grandaxin are the 1st trimester of pregnancy, psychopathological disorders. If there is a need, it can be prescribed for children from 1 year of age, but the doctor should select the dose based on the baby’s weight.

Seduxen. Calms the central nervous system, relaxes muscle tone, relieves emotional stress, anxiety, increased irritability, hallucinations against a background of fear. This drug is prescribed with 0.0025 mg twice, with a gradual increase in which it is possible to bring it up to 5 mg per day. In case of increased fears accompanied by auditory hallucinations, an increase in the drug to 20 mg daily is allowed.

The daily dosage is divided into 3 doses. If there is persistently disturbed sleep, then the medicine is given at night. Can be used from 1 year of age, with the dose selected exclusively by the attending physician. Side effects include nausea, dizziness, and tremor. Contraindicated for use during pregnancy, in the presence of renal failure and cardiovascular diseases.

Antidepressants

Drugs that are active against depression and help with mental disorders associated with weakened motor activity, autonomic disorders, decreased mood, and loss of reality are called antidepressants. The most commonly prescribed antidepressants for hallucinations include the following medications:

Amitriptyline. Contraindicated in case of intoxication of the body, pregnancy, while breastfeeding, glaucoma, cardiovascular diseases, depressive psychoses, alcoholism, asthma, stroke.

This drug has the following side effects: tachycardia, tremor, increased blood pressure, arrhythmia, diarrhea, nausea, decreased libido, headache, insomnia. Amitriptyline is initially prescribed at 25 mg at night, then over 5 days the dosage is gradually increased to 200 mg three times. If necessary, the daily dose can be increased to 300 mg.

Paroxetine. It belongs to a new generation of drugs, quite quickly relieves anxiety and depression, and is well tolerated by patients. Contraindicated during pregnancy, lactation, in children under 14 years of age, with epilepsy, heart disease, glaucoma, epilepsy. The instructions state that Paroxetine is taken once with meals. If the patient has depression, then prescribe 20 mg for 2-3 weeks.

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If necessary, the dosage can be increased, but it should not exceed 50 mg. During use of the drug, the following may occur: side effects: increased sweating, diarrhea, nausea, loss of appetite, impaired sexual desire, frequent urination, muscle weakness, dizziness, insomnia, tachycardia.

Tianeptine. Can improve mood, increase overall muscle tone, relieve depression, increased anxiety, and frequent mood changes. Contraindicated in case of hypersensitivity to the product, pregnancy, children under 15 years of age, in the 1st trimester of pregnancy, during breastfeeding.

There are known cases of the following side effects: dizziness, drowsiness during the day, arrhythmia, chest pain, difficulty breathing, feeling of heat, “lump” in the throat, nausea, bloating, hot flashes. Usually prescribed 12.5 mg three times. If patients also have renal failure, then the dosage is reduced to 12.5 mg twice.

Important! Cannot be used independently medicines aimed at treating hallucinations, because human psyche is a rather delicate system; incorrectly chosen medications can throw it out of balance for a long time.

The occurrence of hallucinations should imply treatment only under the constant supervision of a specialist. With proper monitoring of the patient and systematic treatment, you can get rid of these unpleasant symptoms for a long time.

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Drugs that can cause psychosis (hallucinations) or delusions

For a person of any age with symptoms of a mental disorder (eg, hallucinations) or delirium, careful consideration should be given to whether the symptoms are caused by the medication before starting antipsychotic medication. For a person 60 years of age or older there is Great chance that hallucinations, delirium, or other symptoms similar to those of schizophrenia may be caused by taking the following drugs or abruptly stopping alcohol, barbiturates, or other sleeping pills and tranquilizers.

Narcotic and non-narcotic analgesics such as idnomethacin (INDOCIN), ketamine (KETALAR), morphine, pentazocine (FORTRAL), and salicylates (eg, aspirin).

Antibiotics and others antibacterial agents, for example, acyclovir (ZOVIRAX), amantidine (MIDANTAN), amphotericin B (FUNGIZONE), chloroquine (DELAGIN), cycloserine, ethionamide, isoniazid (NIDRAZIDE), nalidixic acid (NEGRAM), benzylpenicillin (PENICILLIN G).

Anticonvulsants such as ethosuximide (SUXILEP), phenytoin (DIFENIN) and primidine (HEXAMIDINE).

Antiallergic drugs, for example, antihistamines (suprastin, tavegil, etc.).

Antiparkinsonian drugs such as levodopa and carbidopa (combined drug - pp.) or bromocriptine (PARLODEL).

Antidepressants such as trazodone (AZONA) and tricyclic antidepressants such as amitriptyline (AMIZOL) and doxepin.

Cardiotropic drugs such as digitalis (digoxin, etc.), lidocaine (XYLOCAINE) and procainamide (NOVOCAINAMIDE).

Antihypertensive medications, such as clonidine (CLOPHELINE), methyldopa (DOPEGYTE), prazosin (POLPRESSIN), and propranolol (INDERAL).

Cold medicines such as ephedrine, oxymetazoline (NAZOL), and pseudoephedrine.

Drugs such as amphetamines (most amphetamines (for example, phenamine, pervitin, ecstasy) do not cause hallucinations. Among the amphetamines that have hallucinogenic effects, the most famous are mescaline), PCP (phencyclidine), barbiturates, cocaine and crack (cocaine free base ). It should also be noted that hallucinations can be caused by accidental or intentional consumption of certain narcotic plants, for example individual species mushrooms).

Tranquilizers such as alprazolam (XANAX), diazepam (RELANIUM), and triazolam.

Steroids such as dexamethasone (DEXAVEN) and prednisolone (DECORTIN).

Other drugs, such as atropine, aminocaproic acid, baclofen, cimetidine (TAGAMET), ranitidine (ZANTAC), disulfiram (ESPERAL), thyroid hormones, and vincristine (CYTOMIDE).

Hallucinations

Description:

Hallucinations are perceptions that occur without a real object, deceptions of the senses; the patient sees or hears what is in reality in this moment does not exist.

Symptoms of Hallucinations:

Hallucinations are divided by analyzers (visual, tactile, auditory, etc.) and by the nature of their occurrence. The most important in practical terms are the following. Hypnagogic - visual and auditory hallucinations that occur when falling asleep (with eyes closed!) and often serve as a harbinger of developing alcoholic delirium. Visual hallucinations most often occur in acute exogenous psychoses and in impaired consciousness. They are observed mainly in the evening and at night. Microptic - visual hallucinations in the form of images of people or animals that are very small in size (common in delirium delirium). Imperative - auditory hallucinations, “voices” commanding to perform certain actions, often dangerous for the patient or others; sometimes they forbid the patient to talk, force him to resist examination or examination, etc. The danger of these hallucinations is that patients are often unable to resist the “order”. Auditory hallucinations often occur in silence, when the patient is alone and not distracted. Auditory hallucinations are especially common in schizophrenia and alcoholic hallucinosis. Olfactory hallucinations are expressed by various imaginary odors, often unpleasant; usually found in schizophrenia and presenile paranoids; their appearance in the clinical picture of schizophrenia usually means a tendency towards an unfavorable course of the disease with resistance to treatment. With tactile hallucinations, the patient experiences a feeling of insects, goosebumps, and small objects crawling under the skin (during alcoholic delirium, cocaine intoxication). With taste hallucinations, patients experience an unusual taste that is not characteristic of this food or the appearance of unpleasant taste sensations in the mouth without eating.

Distinguish true hallucinations and false (pseudohallucinations). A patient with true hallucinations is convinced of the reality of their existence, since for him they are projected in the surrounding space, no different from ordinary sounds, voices and visual images.

Pseudohallucinations are localized within the patient’s own body and are accompanied by a feeling of alienation and madeness (they hear voices in their heads that are transmitted to them from space; they “have visions”; they are convinced of an outside influence on their thoughts and feelings, often expressing their thoughts about the nature of such influence - “hypnosis”, “laser”, etc.). Pseudohallucinations are usually combined with delusions of influence. If true hallucinations are more typical for alcoholic, traumatic and organic psychoses, then pseudohallucinations are only for schizophrenia.

Hallucinosis is a psychopathological syndrome characterized by pronounced, abundant (various types) hallucinations that dominate the clinical picture. Hallucinosis is often accompanied by delusions, the content of which depends on “voices” or visions (hallucinatory delusions). Acute hallucinosis usually develops during infectious or intoxication (usually alcoholic) psychoses. With an unfavorable course or insufficient treatment against the background of organic or vascular diseases of the brain, acute hallucinosis becomes chronic, in which auditory and less often tactile hallucinations predominate. With it, the behavior of patients is more orderly, perhaps a critical attitude towards “voices”, patients can even remain able to work.

Causes of Hallucinations:

The appearance of hallucinations indicates a significant severity of mental disorders; in patients with neuroses they usually do not occur. Studying the characteristics of hallucinations in each specific case can help establish the diagnosis of mental illness and predict its outcome. For example, in schizophrenia, the voices that the patient hears more often address him, comment on his actions, or order him to do something. In alcoholic hallucinosis, voices speak about the patient in the third person and usually scold or condemn him for drunkenness.

Treatment of Hallucinations:

The occurrence of hallucinations is an indication for hospitalization (with mandatory accompaniment of such patients by a paramedic) and active therapy neuroleptics (haloperidol, triftazine, etaparazine, leponex, etc.). Chronic hallucinatory states in schizophrenia and other mental illnesses require constant maintenance therapy with psychotropic drugs and dynamic monitoring by a psychiatrist. It should be borne in mind that in some cases, patients can hide their hallucinations (dissimulation) when talking with a doctor, and in the presence of nursing staff they can “forget” and demonstrate objective signs of the hallucinations they are experiencing. Personnel should mandatory inform the doctor if the patient has hallucinatory disorders.