Hallucinations: Symptoms, Causes, Prevention and Treatment

Hallucinations is a mental condition in which patient seems things that aren't real. Patient may see things or hear a sound that no one else can see or hear. There can be different cause of having hallucinations such as side effects of medicines or drugs, mental illness, excessive consumption of alcohol or epilepsy.

It is recommended to take advice of a doctor such as psychiatrist or neurologist. Your doctor may guide you to adopt healthy eating habits, such as drinking limited amount of alcohol and taking more sleep.

Types of Hallucinations

Hallucinations can affect your eyesight, smelling, hearing, taste ability or physical sensations.

Visual Hallucinations

In this type of hallucinations, people see unreal things that are not really there. It may include people, objects, visual patterns or lights.

Olfactory Hallucinations

In olfactory hallucinations, smelling ability can be affected negatively. In this hallucinations, you can get a nasty smell or feel that your body is smelling.

Gustatory Hallucinations

It similar to the olfactory hallucinations. But, in this hallucinations, your taste ability is being affecting instead of smell. It may have strange, unpleasant or metallic taste.

Auditory Hallucinations

It is the most common type of hallucinations and is associated with hearing. You may feel like someone is talking or asking you to do something.

Tactile Hallucinations

In this type of hallucinations, you can feel that someone is touching your body or bugs are crawling on your skin.

Symptoms of Hallucinations

Symptoms may vary depending on its type; including

• Feeling sensations in the body i.e. 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 of Hallucinations

Causes may include

Mental Health

Some mental health conditions can cause the problem of hallucinations such as schizophrenia, dementia and mania.

Drug or Substance Abuse

Drug addiction or substance abuse can also cause hallucinations. Some individuals can hear or see things after drinking alcohol or consuming substances like heroine, cocaine, etc.

Lack of Sleep

This condition also can occur if you do not take enough sleep. If you have not slept for several days, you are at a higher risk of having hallucinations.

Certain Medication

Some drugs and medication taken for mental conditions can also cause hallucinations. Medicines to treat Parkinson's, depression, psychosis and epilepsy can cause hallucinations.

Some other health conditions can also cause 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

It 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're currently taking

Hallucinations Treatment

Treatments may include

Medications

Hallucinations treatment 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 that helps to slow down your nervous system. An accurate diagnosis is really very important to treat this mental condition effectively.

Psychiatric Counseling

Psychiatric counseling can help to cure hallucinations to some extent. If the primary 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 some techniques to get out of this mental condition if you feel scared or paranoid.