Hallucinations (hallucinations)

Hallucinations and Hallucinations are perceptual disorders. A person concerned feels or sees impressions, although no real trigger can be found for them. The contents of hallucinations and their manifestations are different - therapies usually deal with the causative factors.

What are hallucinations?

One of the initial symptoms of hallucinations is that the person affected suddenly perceives things in familiar places that have otherwise never been there. This is particularly common in the optical field.
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Hallucinations or hallucinations are assigned to the group of perception disorders in medicine. Hallucinations can also be called delusions. Among other things, things are perceived that are not physically present.

There are different forms of hallucinations. For example, a distinction is made between acoustic hallucinations (e.g. hearing voices), optical hallucinations (perceiving images), gustatory hallucinations (sensory hallucinations that affect taste) or tactile hallucinations (including touch or tactile hallucinations).

In medicine and psychology, hallucinations are still considered under aspects such as their clarity (i.e. the clarity or clarity in which hallucinations appear to an affected person) or their intensity. The fact that the person affected knows that the content of his hallucinations does not correspond to reality also plays a role.

causes

Hallucinations can be caused by a number of factors. The possible causes differ depending on the form of the hallucinations. Acoustic hallucinations can be triggered by psychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia or various forms of depression.

Optical illusions can also be based on psychiatric illnesses; optical hallucinations are observed, for example, in delirium as a result of alcohol dependence. Likewise, optical illusions can also be caused by organic diseases or the consumption of mind-expanding drugs (such as cocaine) or medication.

Smell and taste hallucinations can be triggered, among other things, by tumorous changes in the brain or by an upcoming epileptic seizure - as well as by various psychiatric syndromes.

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Symptoms, ailments & signs

The difficult thing about hallucinations is that the sick person perceives them to be real. He can no longer distinguish the difference between the illusion and what is really there. These hallucinations can be acoustic, optical or olfactory and trigger complaints in the area concerned.

One of the initial symptoms of hallucinations is that the person affected suddenly perceives things in familiar places that have otherwise never been there. This is particularly common in the optical field. For example, you can see colored surfaces on the wall, perceive the colors of the traffic light changed or something similar. Strong hallucinations can evoke the experience of entire situations.

With acoustic hallucinations, the person affected usually hears voices, even when they are alone. They talk clearly about him or give advice. Listening to music is also typical. In olfactory hallucinations, the sick smell or taste certain non-existent substances. Here it is particularly difficult to distinguish between fallacy and reality.

There are also hallucinations that relate to the perception of one's own body. Affected people feel, for example, how a certain organ is moving or growing. The feeling can also arise that a part of the body is not part of the body, which is then perceived as annoying or painful.

Diagnosis & course

Hallucinations are usually diagnosed based on the stories told by those affected. Based on the descriptions given by the patient, it is possible for the diagnostician (a doctor, psychiatrist or psychologist) to determine various characteristics of the existing hallucinations.

When interviewing a patient, the diagnostician usually has various questionnaires available that can help to carry out a detailed assessment of existing hallucinations.

The course of hallucinations depends, among other things, on the causes underlying the hallucinations. If the causes are to be treated or cured, there is usually a favorable prognosis for fighting the associated hallucinations.

Complications

With hallucinations, it is not possible to universally predict the symptoms or complications. In most cases, these always depend on what caused the hallucinations or what drug caused them. In most cases, the hallucinations go away after a certain period of time, so that the symptoms do not last long.

It is not uncommon for patients to lose consciousness and faint. This can lead to injuries if you fall. Furthermore, those affected can usually no longer correctly assess their thoughts and actions, so that there is an increased risk of accidents. Coordination and cognitive abilities are also extremely restricted by the hallucinations. Those affected can also find themselves delirious and develop strong psychological complaints or depression.

Furthermore, the hallucinations can lead to sweating or panic attacks. No direct treatment of the hallucinations is possible. However, the person concerned must forego the respective substances that are responsible for the hallucinations. Withdrawal may be necessary if the patient is a drug addict. In many cases, the patient needs psychological treatment.

When should you go to the doctor?

Whether a doctor should be consulted in the event of hallucinations usually depends very much on the cause of the hallucinations. If the person has consumed alcohol or other drugs, hallucinations are a common symptom that does not require treatment. The symptoms then disappear on their own within a short time.

If the hallucinations persist, however, a doctor should be consulted. If the symptoms occur due to medication, a doctor should also be consulted. The patient should not stop or switch medication without first consulting a doctor.

However, if the hallucinations occur without taking medication or without using drugs, a doctor must be consulted, as this is usually a mental disorder that definitely needs treatment. First and foremost, a general practitioner can be visited, who can usually refer the affected person to a psychologist or psychiatrist. In the case of drug addiction, withdrawal can also be done to fight the hallucinations.

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Treatment & Therapy

An effective therapy for hallucinations usually starts with combating the causes that cause existing hallucinations. If hallucinations are based, for example, on organic diseases or malfunctions, early treatment of these disorders can lead to a positive influence on the hallucinations associated with them.

If hallucinations are due to certain medications, a therapeutic step can be to identify the appropriate drug (s) and to initiate a change in medication.

Often, however, various possible triggers for hallucinations cannot be immediately and clearly defined; It can be useful to combine different therapeutic approaches in order to develop an individually effective therapy:

For example, if there are psychiatric causes for hallucinations, drugs can be combined with psychotherapeutic therapy steps. The same applies to organically conditioned hallucinations.

As part of psychotherapy, a person affected can learn, among other things, to be better able to deal with existing hallucinations. This can reduce the level of suffering that is associated with hallucinations for the individual.

Outlook & forecast

Since hallucinations are not an independent disease, there is no fundamental prognosis for these complaints. The occurrence of hallucinations is determined by the underlying disease and must therefore be assessed individually. If the underlying disease can be cured, there is also a reduction in the hallucinations. Complete cure is therefore possible in some patients.

In the case of a temporary acute condition that is initiated by drugs or alcohol, the patient usually experiences spontaneous healing. With the breakdown and removal of toxins from the organism, perceptual illusions gradually recede.

In most cases, they will go away completely within a few hours or a few days. If there is a mental illness, lifelong symptoms of the hallucinations can occur. For example, they are part of the patient's clinical picture in the case of schizophrenia or other personality disorders. Often these diseases cannot be cured.

By administering medication, the occurrence of hallucinations is largely attenuated or temporarily deactivated. However, as soon as the patient stops taking his medication, hallucinations will occur again. In some cases, those affected lack insight into the disease. You therefore do not go into therapy and accordingly cannot be treated. These people usually do not suffer from serious illnesses and ultimately experience hallucinations for life.

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prevention

Preventing the development of hallucinations can primarily consist in treating psychiatric or organic problems at an early stage. If these possible causes of hallucinations are controlled by targeted treatments, the risk of developing hallucinations is reduced.

Furthermore, responsible use of drugs and intoxicants can prevent various forms of hallucinations and hallucinations.

Aftercare

In the case of hallucinations, the options or measures for follow-up care usually depend very much on the cause and the severity of these symptoms. Therefore, no general prediction can be made about the possibilities of follow-up care. First and foremost, the disease needs to be properly treated by a doctor so that the symptoms can be alleviated.

If hallucinations occur as a result of taking certain medications or drugs, they must be stopped. Regular examinations should always be carried out by a doctor in order to carry out withdrawal properly. In the case of other mental disorders or depression, treatment by a professional psychologist is usually necessary.

However, talking to relatives or friends is also very useful and helpful and can alleviate the symptoms of hallucinations. First and foremost, the trigger or underlying disease for the hallucinations must be identified and treated in order to permanently treat these delusions.

In serious cases, the person concerned is dependent on treatment in a closed clinic. Family members should alert the patient to the symptoms of the hallucinations and persuade them to seek treatment. Not infrequently, contact with other affected persons is also very helpful.

You can do that yourself

Hallucinations are one of those mental illnesses in which the person concerned can no longer influence. This means that there are no opportunities for self-help for the sick person in everyday life.

He himself is not aware that he is subject to a hallucination so that it is impossible for him to react to it. Even with an existing diagnosis and information about the disease, he has no option for action. Therefore, in these cases, the relatives or people from the close social environment of the person concerned are called upon.

You are advised to find out more about the disease in order to avoid misunderstandings. You can find out more about your own options for providing assistance and find out how you can protect yourself or set yourself apart. They often need to be informed about which behavioral patterns of the sick person are to be regarded as part of the disease. This helps to be able to react appropriately to difficult situations.

In many cases, the close relatives should accept psychological help themselves in order to be able to deal with the events well. With hallucinations, the sick are often seen as a danger to themselves and others. Therefore, the possibilities for medical care should be found out in order to be able to make the best decisions for all concerned.