According to common beliefs, when a person starts seeing things that are not really there they are hallucinating.
But there is so much more to hallucinations then just seeing what doesn’t exist. Hallucinations are capable of affecting all your five senses, which means when a person is hallucinating they may start smelling, hearing or feeling what’s not really there.
If your condition matches with the above mentioned definition of hallucination, it is best to consult the Best Psychiatrist in Lahore and get your condition evaluated and treated.
What causes hallucinations?
There are many different conditions that can cause hallucinations. Some of which are:
Parkinson’s disease
Epilepsy
Schizophrenia
Alzheimer’s disease
Charles bonnet syndrome
Bipolar disorder
Brain lesions and tumors
Depression
Sleeping disorders
Seizures
Problems within metabolism
Liver or kidney failure
Brain cancer
Psychosis
Post traumatic stress disorder
Dementia
Head injuries
Sinus diseases
Deafness or blindness
High grade fevers
Migraine
HIV (AIDS)
Drug abuse
Alcohol abuse
What are the types of hallucinations?
Following are the types of hallucinations:
Visual hallucinations:
Visual hallucinations cause a person to see what’s not really there. These hallucinations normally include: people, patterns, lights and objects.
For example if a person is having a visual hallucination they may see a person that isn’t actually in the room, an object moving or lights flashing. Other people in the same room may not see these things happening.
People suffering from schizophrenia, dementia, delirium, Anton’s syndrome, Charles bonnet syndrome, seizures, drug withdrawal, peduncular hallucinosis, and brain tumors usually have visual hallucinations.
Auditory hallucinations:
If someone is hearing things that don’t really have a source, they are having an auditory hallucination. People suffering from auditory hallucinations hear a variety of things. For example some might hear someone talking to them or ordering them to do things while others may be able to hear sounds of music.
The sounds that people having auditory hallucinations hear are so real that it’s hard for them to differentiate these voices from the real world voices and sounds.
High grade fevers, hearing loss, epilepsy, stress, alcohol addiction, Alzheimer’s disease, Tinnitus, sleep disorders, thyroid disease and dementia may cause auditory hallucinations.
Olfactory hallucinations:
Olfactory hallucinations impact your sense of smell. For example a person suffering from olfactory hallucinations may feel that their body is stinking when it’s completely fine or they may smell the scent of flowers or a perfume coming out of nowhere.
Olfactory hallucinations are usually caused by respiratory infections, head injuries, Parkinson’s disease, and inflamed sinuses.
Gustatory hallucinations:
Gustatory hallucinations impact your sense of taste. For example a person suffering from gustatory hallucinations may have a strange or unpleasant taste in their mouth all of a sudden.
Gustatory hallucinations usually co-occur with olfactory hallucinations.
Tactile hallucinations:
Tactile hallucinations make the patient have feelings like: their organs are moving around or bugs are crawling on their body. Some patients suffering from tactile hallucinations also report feeling a touch of someone’s hand on their body or sensations of having sex.
Alcohol or drug abuse, Parkinson’s disease and dementia may cause tactile hallucinations.
How can hallucinations be diagnosed?
If you suspect that you are perceiving, seeing or listening to things that don’t have a real source, visit the Best Psychiatrist in Karachi and have them diagnose you.
What they will do for the diagnosis is, they will ask you what you are seeing, hearing and feeling. Then they will inquire about the timeline of when these events started occurring and how frequently they take place. Then they will take your medical history and ask you about your alcohol or drug use.
After collecting enough data regarding your state, your doctor’s next step will be to run blood tests, a urine test and a brain scan.
Once your test reports are out and they figure out the causes behind your hallucinations they will begin the treatment.
How can hallucinations be treated?
Below mentioned are a few treatments options that are used for treating hallucinations:
Some general things that may help in reducing hallucinations are maintaining a balanced lifestyle by eating healthy, catching adequate sleep and exercising regularly.
For patients of Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, dementia and other mental illnesses taking prescription medications adequately may help in reducing episodes of hallucinations.
If hallucinations are occurring as a side effect of consuming certain medications, cutting down or reducing the intake of those medications may help in treating hallucinations.
Educating and counselling the patient also works if the patient is having hallucinations due to their mental state.
For drug and alcohol addicts, cutting down on alcohol and drug intake helps in treating hallucinations.