Hallucinations may lead to dangerous behavior. Therefore, the most effective way to diagnose this mental condition is to instantly see your doctor if you have any confusion that your beliefs are not genuine or real.
In this paragraph, we discuss hallucination symptoms, their causes, prevention, and effective treatments in detail.
Article Contents
What is Hallucination?
It is known to be a mental condition in which the patient sees things that aren’t real. The patient may see things or hear a sound that no one else can see or hear. However, there can be various causes of having hallucinations such as side effects of medicines or drugs, mental illness, excessive drinking of alcohol, or epilepsy.
It is advised to visit a medical expert like a psychiatrist or neurologist. Thus, your medical practitioner may guide you to embrace healthy eating habits, such as drinking a limited amount of alcohol and taking more sleep.
Types of Hallucinations
It can have an effect on your eyesight, smelling, hearing, taste ability or physical sensations. It may be of the following types –
1. Visual Hallucinations
In this type of hallucination, people see unreal things that are not really there. Some things like people, objects, visual patterns, or lights.
2. Olfactory Hallucinations
In olfactory, smelling ability can be affected negatively. In this hallucination, you can get a foul smell or feel that your body is smelling so bad.
3. Gustatory Hallucinations
This is similar to olfactory hallucination. Having said that, your taste ability is being affected, instead of smell. It may have a strange, unpleasant, or metallic taste.
4. Auditory Hallucinations
It is the most common type of hallucination and is related to hearing. You may feel like someone is talking or asking you to do something.
5. Tactile Hallucinations
This type can make you feel that someone is touching your body or bugs are crawling on your skin.
Symptoms
Symptoms may vary depending on its type; including –
- Feeling sensations in the body, for instance, a crawling feeling on the skin or movement
- Hearing sounds including footsteps, music, or banging of doors
- Tasting something (often a metallic taste)
- Hearing voices such as a voice commanding you to harm yourself or others
- Seeing objects, beings, or patterns or lights
- Smelling an odor
Causes
Causes may include –
1. Mental Health
Some mental health conditions such as schizophrenia, dementia, and mania can also be the cause of hallucinations.
2. Drug or Substance Abuse
Drug addiction or substance abuse can also cause hallucinations. Some people can hear or see things after consuming too much alcohol or some substances like heroin, cocaine, etc.
3. Lack of Sleep
This health condition also can happen if you do not take enough sleep. If you have not slept for several days, you are at a higher risk of having hallucinations.
4. Certain Medication
Drugs and medication taken for mental conditions can also cause hallucinations. Therefore, medicines to treat Parkinson’s, depression, psychosis, and epilepsy can be a reason for hallucinations.
Other health conditions can also be the reason for this problem; such as –
- Neurologic disorders
- Glaucoma
- Migraine
- Auditory nerve disease
- Sleep deprivation
- Dissociative identity disorder (DID)
- Epilepsy
- Hallucinogen use
- Stroke
- Metabolic conditions
- Middle or inner ear diseases
- Narcolepsy
- Ophthalmic diseases
- Schizoaffective disorder
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Prevention
Hallucinations can be prevented in the following ways –
- Do workout or physical activity regularly
- Avoid stress
- Eat healthy and nutritious food
- Avoid alcohol and noxious drugs
- Get lots of sleep
- Do recreational activities
- Always maintain good mental and emotional health
- Find different ways to deal with depression
- Remember that the main cause of psychological problems is the environment around you
- Know about the health side effects of certain drugs that you are currently taking
Treatment
Treatments may include –
1. Medications
Treating hallucinations is dependent on the underlying cause. For example, if you have the problem of hallucinations due to quitting alcohol, your health care provider may prescribe some medicines. The medicines will help to slow down your nervous system. A correct diagnosis is really very important to cure this mental condition effectively.
2. Psychiatric Counseling
Psychiatric counseling can help to heal hallucinations to some extent. If the main cause of hallucinations is a mental condition, then by talking to a counselor you can understand what is happening to you. A consultant can advise you on some methods to tackle this mental condition if you feel scared or paranoid.
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