A person can be in a state in which his perception of the real world is disturbed. Interaction with the external environment, as well as all the information it receives, turns into hallucinations, which are often called a deception of consciousness. They consist of many ideas, memories and feelings of the patient.
The peculiarity of hallucinations is that they are not controlled and do not appear at the request of the patient. This is their main difference from invented fantasies. To understand this phenomenon in more detail, it is necessary to carefully study all the nuances of the disease, as well as determine the signs of true and false hallucinations.
What are hallucinations
They are called images of various objects, people, as well as situations that are perceived by a person as absolutely real, but in reality they are absent. These images appear spontaneously. Some are bright, sensitive and extremely convincing. They are considered to be true hallucinations. But there is another kind of them. Such attacks are perceived by internal hearing orvision, while being formed in the depths of consciousness and felt as a result of the influence of external forces. They cause visions, vague images, various voices and sounds. They are called pseudo-hallucinations. Any kind of mental disorders need complex treatment and long-term medical supervision.
Essence of symptom of hallucinations
The final formulation, which reflects the essence of true hallucinations in our days, was revealed by Jean Esquirol. He defined the essence of this psychiatric deviation as a deep conviction of a person that at the current moment he is experiencing a sensory perception of a particular situation, while all possible objects from a hallucination are not within his reach. This definition is also relevant in modern society.
The essence of the symptom is that a person's sphere of perception of reality is disturbed. During an attack, he feels and realizes the presence of various objects that are absent in the real world. The patient is fully convinced that he is right and does not succumb to any refuting beliefs. This happens due to the fact that a person is no longer able to distinguish between reality and hallucination.
Signs of hallucinations
A patient experiencing true hallucinations, despite the pathology, can quite adequately perceive the environment and real reality. At the same time, his attention is divided randomly, focusing mainly on false images. A person does not feel the pain of attacks, perceiving them as ifthey are a natural part of his life. For most people suffering from this disease, hallucinations become more real than real events and people. They often disconnect from what is happening in reality and plunge into their own, artificial world. During such attacks, the following changes in behavior occur with a person:
- When deceiving consciousness with a hallucination, a person actively gesticulates. He begins to carefully peer at something, worry, turn away, cover his eyes with his hands, look around, brush off or defend himself. The patient may try to grab a non-existent object, throw off invisible clothing.
- Things can be done under the influence of true hallucinations. They will reflect the deception of perception: a person will hide, look for something, catch, attack people and himself. He will also be prone to destroying objects around him.
- The patient may attempt suicide.
- Auditory hallucinations will be pronounced. A person will freely talk to non-existent people, as he will be completely sure of their real existence.
- True hallucinations are characterized by the active expression of emotions: rage, tears, regret, anger, delight or disgust.
A person may experience difficulty if his reality and hallucinations act on perception with the same force. In this case, he develops a split personality, which constantly balances between the extremes of behavior. Most often, sick people begin to hear the voice of God,feel his touch and believe that they are messengers of heaven or prophets.
What are hallucinations
They can be the result of deception of any of the five senses of a person. Hallucinations are: visual, auditory, gustatory, olfactory or tactile. There are also hallucinatory images of general feelings that are caused by feelings about the processes taking place in the body, in the feeling of the presence of a foreign body or object inside. All types of true hallucinations are characterized by the following signs of behavior:
- Auditory hallucinations. A person begins to hear the voice of people and various sounds. In his mind, these sounds can be quiet or loud. The voices may belong to familiar people and be constantly reproduced in hallucinations or be episodic. By their nature, they can carry a narrative, accusatory or imperative bias. A monologue or dialogue in different languages may sound in the patient's head. True auditory hallucinations are easier to identify in a patient than their other types.
- Visual hallucinatory images. During them, a person can see absolutely simple situations, objects, people or events. It is also quite likely that non-existent animals or other creatures will appear in his mind. At the same time, the patient can participate in imaginary scenes, actively gesticulate, and perform various physical actions.
- Taste hallucinations. They contribute to the sensation of any tastes that do not exist in nature. For example, a sick person may startchew the pencil, while experiencing the sweetness in the mouth. This sign of true hallucinations is the rarest.
- Olfactory hallucinations. From them, the patient can smell the imaginary aroma of perfume or the smell of rotten meat. At the same time, it will seem to him absolutely real. A person may even have a gag reflex due to such a trick of consciousness.
- Tactile hallucinations. A patient suffering from an illness feels touches that do not exist: insects on the skin, ropes tied, a noose on the neck, animal bites or blows. He can also feel heat, frost, or raindrops on his body. Such hallucinations can focus both on the surface of the skin and under it.
Characteristics of types of hallucinations
Besides the classification according to the signs of behavior, hallucinatory images are divided into the following types of complexity:
- Protozoa. They can be characterized as incomplete images of perceived situations. For example, it can be: glare, sparks, luminous spots, rays or circles. All these types of images are visual. Among the simplest auditory hallucinations, unusual rustles, sounds, squeaks, groans, cries of people or animals can be distinguished.
- Subject. Most often they affect one analyzer. The patient can see visual hallucinations: a person, an animal, a part of the body, or some object. Of the auditory, they include words of speech or songs, dialogues between several people.
- Complicated. This type of hallucination is considered the most dangerous. Patientbegins not only to see non-existent people, but also to communicate with them. Also, alien creatures and mythical creatures may appear to him. Since a person has no control over such phenomena, he can harm himself by trying to fight or fight with the participants in his images.
True hallucinations
They are always projected from the outside world and are inextricably linked with human reality. The actions of true visual hallucinations can be in a familiar setting. For example, a fictional wild animal might be hiding in a real room or behind a wall. Such visions do not cause a single gram of doubt in a person that they really exist. True verbal hallucinations are very vivid and realistic. The patient is more likely to believe that the real life, his relatives and friends are the perceptual error than the unreal images in the mind.
True and false hallucinations can overtake each person. Especially if he takes psychotropic drugs, constantly drinks antidepressants, or has suffered brain injuries. It is very important to determine their appearance in time and provide appropriate medical assistance to your loved one.
What are pseudohallucinations
Such a pathology of the human psyche is characterized by the following features:
- A voice may sound in the head of the patient, which will push him to certain actions. All visions will depend on him. The voice from the head will direct, make you see what is reallyactually does not exist.
- The patient can completely disconnect from the real situation around and observe only a hallucinatory image.
- Each delusion of perception will make a person think that everything around is rigged, that voices or visions are the result of his poisoning or collusion. They begin to accuse the people around them of abandoning them and handing them over to the punishment of doctors who experiment on them.
Differences between true hallucinations and pseudo hallucinations
Their main difference is considered to be an expressive orientation to the outside world, as well as a connection with really existing objects and people. A true hallucination is when a person sees an imaginary spot on a real chair, hears a sound outside the door, smells food or smells perfume. Pseudo-hallucination can only be called his internal sensations, which are in no way connected with surrounding things. The patient can feel foreign objects in his body, hear the voices of people in his head. He may also experience pain caused by a delusion of perception.
Pseudo-hallucinations differ from true hallucinations in the level of danger to others. Such a pathology does not depend on thoughts, memories or situations lived by a person. They have an obsessive form, an accusatory and imperative character. A patient who suffers from pseudo-hallucinations can quickly go insane, harm others and commit suicide.
Causes of hallucinations
The reason for clouding consciousness, with the presence of true visual hallucinations, can be mental, somatic diseases, chronic stress, as well as taking medications that adversely affect the nervous system. Among mental illnesses, hallucinations can be provoked by:
- Acute schizophrenia.
- Epileptic attacks.
- Psych.
Among somatic diseases, the following pathologies can contribute to hallucinations:
- Brain tumor, concussion or trauma.
- Various infections that affect the brain.
- Illnesses accompanied by febrile attacks.
- Stroke.
- Atherosclerosis.
- Severe poisoning.
Also, a deception of consciousness can overtake after taking:
- High doses of alcohol.
- Drugs.
- Tranquilizing drugs.
- Antidepressants.
- Psychostimulants.
- Certain species of plants that poison the body (belladonna, dope, poisonous mushrooms, etc.).
Diagnosis of hallucinations
It is very important to be able to distinguish real hallucinations from illusions. If it seems to a person that the sofa in front of him has changed its shape and turned into an animal, or the hanger has become like a human shadow, he sees an illusion. But when the patient claims that he sees an animal, object or person, from scratch, he was overtaken by a hallucination.
Illusion is a distorted perception of a real object. If a person has somethinghe imagined, after the remark of a close friend, he would always agree with this, making sure that this was just an optical illusion. When a person has dreamed of a real true hallucination, he will never agree that it is not real. After long persuasion, he can pretend that he has taken someone else's point of view, but in fact, the deception of consciousness will always come true for him.
Illusions can occur in an absolutely he althy person. For example, it may seem to him that a mysterious stranger is standing around the corner of a dark alley. This phenomenon may be the result of fear of the dark or increased caution. Approaching the source of fear, a person can see for himself that the illusion appeared due to an unsuccessful reflection of a nearby object or a car passing by. Such situations are quite normal for a he althy person, since everyone has their own fears and concerns about the outside world.
A hallucinated person, on the contrary, is a sick person who urgently needs the help of doctors. If relatives or friends do not send him for treatment in time, the consequences can be very deplorable both for the patient himself and for people close to him.
Changes in personality behavior are easy to notice when true and false hallucinations appear. Their difference in this case can play a serious role in the safety of others. False hallucinations are much more dangerous than true ones. Such a person will behave very wary, constantly muttering something, talking in a whisper withimaginary people, try not to draw too much attention to yourself.
If you find signs of hallucinations in one of your friends or acquaintances, you should try to discuss them with the patient. If he really sees a hallucination, and not an illusion, you should give him a light sedative, and then put him to bed. After that, you need to urgently call an ambulance and report all the symptoms.
