Hallucinations are a person's perception of an object that is absent in reality, which occurs against the background of various mental disorders or problems with the senses. At the same time, a person can see, hear, or even feel and touch an object that not only is not near him at the moment, but may not exist at all in nature.
A little background
It's no secret that only 20% of the human brain has been studied, and the remaining area remains a mystery to modern scientists. Therefore, it is not surprising that everything mysterious and inexplicable is attributed to this area. This criterion also includes hallucinations, which were a frequent occurrence even in ancient times, when shamans or priests used a variety of mushrooms or plants both to evoke “prophetic” visions in themselves and to communicate with long-dead ancestors. It is worth noting that some peoples believed that hallucinations are a kind of panacea for certain diseases. There have also been recorded cases of their use in art, science or culture. An example is the work of such famous masters as Edgar Allan Poe, Gogol, Chopin, Vincent van Gogh. The only sad thing is that the retribution for such masterpieces was gradual degradation and, as a result, absolute devastation.
To date, the types of hallucinations are quite diverse and include auditory, visual, olfactory, tactile. But the first thing to consider in more detail is, of course, the reason for the occurrence of such a phenomenon.
Hallucinations: causes, symptoms
Some of the causes of hallucinations can be both the use of various drugs (hashish, opium), and drugs that stimulate the psychological state of a person (antidepressants, phenothiazines). Do not forget that poisoning caused by both excessive alcohol consumption and certain mushrooms or spices can also serve as prerequisites for such conditions. An example is nutmeg, which causes hallucinations when consumed in large quantities.
Temporal lesions of the brain can be the cause of olfactory hallucinations, which are quite common in patients with schizophrenia. And if you add herpetic encephalitis to it, then in addition there is also a taste.
Manifestations of visual hallucinations are associated primarily with exacerbations of diseases of the organs of vision. Such states are usually characterized by a variety of visions and images in which a person can take part.
Views
In addition to the division according to the original source of appearance, hallucinations are also divided into false and true. For example, in the second type of state, a person is not a direct participant in the action, but rather, as if by an outside observer. A false phenomenon, on the contrary, completely captures the consciousness of a person, projecting only in him.
As mentioned above, at the moment there are a lot of types of hallucinations, so we will consider only the main and most common of them.
Visual hallucinations
Such hallucinations can be manifested as a flash of light, spots or smoke (simple), as well as a variety of visions (complex) that occur against the background of clouding of consciousness. They can be:
- Moving.
- Stationary.
- Changing.
- Solid.
- Colorful.
Their size can vary from insignificant to very large. As a rule, visual hallucinations most often occur not in the field of view of a person, but, as it were, a little behind or to the side. They appear mainly in the evening and at night.
Auditory hallucinations
Today, auditory hallucinations include acoasms, phonemes and verbal ones.
- Acoasma is called hallucinations, manifested in the form of a variety of bells, ringing, crackling and grinding.
- Phonemes include hallucinations, manifested in individual words or phrases that are heard by the patient.
- Verbal samehallucinations are characterized by various voices familiar to a person that address him. They can manifest as both a whisper and a scream. It is worth noting that, by their nature, voices can be benevolent and soothing, arising against a background of euphoria, or, conversely, threatening and condemning (depression).
As a rule, auditory hallucinations are perceived by two ears, but there are exceptions when sounds are heard only from one side. Most often they occur at night or in complete silence.
Hallucinations of olfactory, tactile and gustatory nature
Smell hallucinations include not very clear and faintly distinguishable odors that cause discomfort.
Taste hallucinations are the sensations of the taste of food and moisture in the mouth. It should be noted that when eating, most patients noted its unpleasant and unusual taste.
Important! Treating hallucinations of this origin is quite a hassle if not started in the early stages.
Tactile sensations include sensations of tickling, crawling. Cases of such hallucinations both on the body and inside it have been recorded.
Diagnosis
First of all, you need to understand that a person has a hallucination, and not a manifestation of an illusion, when it may seem to him that the object standing in front of him will change its shape and turn into some kind of animal. Hallucinations are when a person can point, for example, to the corner of a room and quite seriously claim that someone is there.located. The difference of this condition is that it is not easy enough to convince the patient that he was wrong.
It is also very important to observe the behavior of a person, since it often enough becomes possible to determine from it what kind of hallucination is taking place. Cases of the occurrence of such a phenomenon of an episodic nature are common, in which case it is very important not to miss this period. No need to panic and think: “Oh God, these are hallucinations, what should I do?” The first step is to pay special attention to the facial expressions of a person, since in most cases facial expressions that are uncharacteristic for a given situation (fear, horror, anger, joy, surprise, etc.) are reflected. More pronounced hallucinations are manifested in spitting out food, sharply closing the eyes, pinching the nose and plugging the ears. Cases have been recorded when, in such states, people threw themselves under cars or jumped out of windows, fleeing imaginary monsters. As a rule, such a phenomenon is most often combined with various states of delirium, and its manifestations in an isolated state are very rare.
Diseases that cause hallucinations
The cause of this condition can be a variety of diseases, the main ones being schizophrenia and alcoholism.
Thus, people suffering from alcoholism are primarily susceptible to manifestations of auditory hallucinations. As a rule, this manifests itself in various voices arguing with each other, because of which the patient has a panic, leading to the most unpleasant consequences.
Syphilis of the brain can also cause hallucinations,expressed in negative visions, screams.
Do not forget that taking drugs not only leads to the appearance of malignant tumors, but is also expressed in strong hallucinations of an imperative nature.
Especially worth noting is the disease amentia, characterized by a severe form of impaired consciousness. Its symptomatology is manifested in a violation of the synthesis of perception, thinking, speech and the inability to navigate in the surrounding space. The danger is that the types of hallucinations caused by the disease can be fatal.
Hallucinogens
Despite all the negative consequences, enough people still try to consciously induce hallucinations in themselves. To do this, both hallucinogens (marijuana, beta-carbolines, LSD) and various plants or mushrooms, for example, nutmeg, are used, which causes hallucinations in the form of short-term euphoria and various visions.
Reasons for taking hallucinogens include:
- Prolonged depression and disappointment in life.
- Waiting for sharp and unusual sensations and emotions.
- Desire to evoke vivid visions.
But it is worth remembering that hallucinations are not only short-term minutes filled with new bright colors, but also moments for which you may have to pay with your he alth or even life.
Manifestation of hallucinations in the elderly
According to the latest statistics,The greatest number of manifestations of hallucinations was recorded in elderly people, which is not surprising, given the possible age-related changes in their he alth. As a rule, elderly people are most often prone to bouts of depression, complicated by a variety of anxiety and fear of the unknown. This condition, in turn, is fertile ground for the appearance of hallucinations in the elderly, manifested in the form of various voices, color spots or unpleasant tactile sensations.
Hallucinations in children
This phenomenon is not bypassed by the younger generation either. So, according to the latest data, more than 15% of children are prone to this phenomenon.
It manifests itself regardless of gender or location of the child. The causes that cause hallucinations in a child include a strong fever. This happens due to the fact that high body temperature leads not only to weakness and aching throughout the body, but also causes clouding of consciousness, which, in turn, means that the brain is not able to control it at the proper level. It is especially worth noting that it is strictly forbidden to leave a child in this state, as this phenomenon is temporary and can develop into a panic.
The most dangerous hallucinations in children are those that occur at night. And in this case, for parents whose babies are not only panicky afraid to be alone at night, but can also scream and urinate in bed during sleep, it is very important to find out the reasonsuch a state of theirs. It is important in no case to condemn or reproach for the fear shown. Remember that it is necessary to listen to the baby with all the attention and, most importantly, understanding, since such a state left unattended in the future can develop into a phobia in the future and lead to serious changes in the psychological state of the child.
According to some experts, the treatment of hallucinations in children does not cause such an urgent need as in adults, since they tend to outgrow it. But there is an opinion that it is unlikely to completely get rid of them, and under certain circumstances they may reappear.
First aid for hallucinations
First of all, when symptoms of this phenomenon appear, it must be taken into account that for the patient everything that happens is a reality. Therefore, the following recommendations should be followed to minimize the possible recurrence of this condition:
- In no case should you even try to somehow dissuade the patient that everything that happens to him is unrealistic.
- It is necessary to find a way to help a person cope with feelings or sensations that have gripped him. For example, if he has a strong impression that vampires can come to him at night and drink his blood, then you need to work with him to come up with means of “saving” him from them.
- It is necessary to create such conditions under which the hallucination would not be terrible for either the person who fell under its influence or the people around him.
Strictly prohibited:
- Joke about his feelings.
- Showirritation in response to unfounded fears.
- Convince the patient that everything that happens to him is a figment of his imagination.
- To focus on what is happening to him. For example, find out the source of "suspicious" sounds.
- It is especially important during this period not to raise your voice to the patient unnecessarily. In this case, it is recommended to give him the feeling that you will do everything possible to "save" him.
- In special cases, when the patient is overly excited, you can try to calm him down with various sedative drugs, walk around the guests or turn on soothing music for him. In some cases, you may need to call a doctor.
Treatment methods
Today, there are several methods of treating hallucinations. But it should be borne in mind that if their cause is a mental disorder, then therapy should be started only after consulting a psychiatrist. Basically, treatment is aimed at stopping the attack and eliminating the delusional state. For this purpose, the patient is given an injection of the drug "Aminazin" or "Tizercin", combining it with the drug "Trisedil" or "Haloperidol". Also, the treatment regimen may include the use of antipsychotics and atypical antipsychotics.
But, as practice shows, a he althy lifestyle, reducing the amount of stress and avoiding the use of hallucinogens will reduce the manifestation of hallucinations in a person by several times, and even make it possible to forget about its existence.
