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Why do people have hallucinations? What are the dangers of hallucinations in the elderly and whether it is possible to get rid of them. How to induce hallucinations

Attacks of hallucinations have a different form of severity and severity. The development of hallucinations is closely related to the disturbance of brain activity, which leads to sensations, sounds and images that are absent in reality. According to experts, the occurrence of hallucinations is a sign of a serious pathology, which indicates the need for emergency medical intervention. Let's look at what hallucinations are and how they manifest themselves.

Hallucinations are imaginary perceptions, perceptions without an object, sensations that occur without stimuli.

Phenomenon study

Hallucinations - are a violation of the organs of perception, which leads to the appearance of "false feelings". During attacks, patients hear demonic voices, see other worlds and other pictures of the unreal world. In some cases, patients suffering from hallucinations believe that their seizures are a way to communicate with other worlds.

It should also be said that hallucinations can be triggered by the use of drugs, alcohol and special mushrooms. People suffering from drug addiction often resort to the use of various psychotropic drugs in order to achieve the condition in question. Hallucinations are often characterized by terms such as "mirage" and "illusion". This suggests that during an attack a person sees those events that do not exist in the real world. According to experts, the cause of hallucinations is closely related to impaired brain activity. Various impulses that occur in different parts of the brain lead to dysfunction of the sense organs, which is accompanied by a distortion in the perception of the surrounding world.

In addition, the cause of this condition may be associated with a violation of mental activity. In medical practice, there are several dozen different diseases that have such specific manifestations as hallucinations.

Let's look at what the term "hallucination" means. In medicine, this condition is described as a disturbance in the perception of the surrounding reality that occurs without the influence of external stimuli. This means that a person can see and feel various images that do not exist in reality. A similar condition can be caused by a strong nervous strain, as well as the use of potent drugs. medicines. In addition, the occurrence of hallucinations may be preceded by exacerbations of neurological diseases. During an attack, in the real world there is no irritant that is felt by the patient. Sounds, smells, feelings and images are born by a sick consciousness.

All attacks of the phenomenon under consideration can be divided into two conditional groups:

true form- feelings and images that do not differ from objects that exist in the real world. Such attacks have a bright emotional color and persuasiveness.
Pseudo-hallucinations- feelings that are projected in the mind under the influence of external stimuli.

Hallucinations are a deception, a mistake, an error in the perception of all the senses, when the patient sees, hears or feels something that is not really there.

It should be noted that the second category of seizures has an obsessive character. A person in this state is in the firm belief that his behavior is controlled by external forces. The strength of the attacks and their severity leads to the emergence of a belief in the existence of otherworldly forces, demons and aliens.

When the patient is faced with distrust and skepticism of others, he plunges into his inner world which can only worsen the condition.

Varieties of hallucinations

Depending on the sense organs that are responsible for the attack, hallucinations are divided into visual, gustatory, olfactory and auditory. In addition, there are visceral and muscular forms of an attack. In turn, auditory attacks are divided into two groups: elementary ( various sounds and voices) and verbal (imperative, motor speech and other types of seizures). Let's take a closer look at the second group of auditory hallucinations.

The imperative form of the attack has a commanding tone, which makes the patient perform actions that are not amenable to logical explanation. People in this state are a high degree danger to themselves and to those around them. Unable to resist orders, a person can beat, kill and commit other illegal acts.

The commentary form of hallucinations manifests itself in the form of voices that lead a conversation about the behavior, feelings and thoughts of the patient. In most cases, such voices condemn the behavior of a person. The danger of this type of seizure is explained by the fact that, tired of an extraneous voice in his head, a person decides to commit suicide.

With a threatening form of manifestation, the patient hears voices that say various offensive words, threaten to beat or cause any damage to health. Contrasting hallucinations appear in a similar way. The main difference between this type of seizure is a conversation between two voices that are arguing with each other. One voice can demand severe punishment of a person for his negative thoughts and actions. The second, as a rule, comes to the defense, citing various arguments in order to delay the punishment. In this state, both voices control the behavior of the patient, but the orders given by them often contradict each other.

There are hallucinations: visual, olfactory, auditory, gustatory, general feeling (visceral and muscular)

The speech-motor type of the phenomenon under consideration is characterized as a feeling that otherworldly forces have taken over the language and voice of the individual. In this state, the patient perceives himself as a person through whom important messages are transmitted. Often people during an attack think that they are speaking in a non-existent language, although in reality it simply pronounces a set of different sounds.

Visual hallucinations are various images and visions that are not characteristic of the outside world. Conventionally, such attacks are divided into two categories: elementary (steam, light flashes, fog) and objective (various objects). According to experts, the appearance of true hallucinations is closely related to the disruption of the sensory organs. So, with a disease such as otitis media, the patient may suffer from hearing attacks. In the case of retinal detachment, the patient often encounters elementary visual hallucinations.

With the olfactory form of manifestation, people hear smells that have a sharp specific character. As an example, it can be said that most patients with this form of pathology complain that they are haunted by a putrid smell everywhere. In some cases, this type of seizure can lead to a decrease in appetite or a complete refusal to eat. The olfactory form of seizures is often complicated by the addition of gustatory hallucinations. This leads to the fact that the patient, in addition to the smell of rot, feels its taste in the mouth.

Tactile hallucinations - various senses localized on different parts body. This can be both a feeling of external pressure, and a feeling of being touched by various objects that have a high or low temperature. During an attack, the patient may feel fluid flowing down his body or feel the movement of insects under the skin.

Depending on the sensory organs that perceive distorted signals, hallucinogenic seizures are divided into the following categories:

reflex form- is formed in a situation where irritation of one sense organ has a negative impact on the rest.
Kinesthetic form (psychomotor type)- a sense of movement of the limbs, in the absence of real movements.
Ecstatic form- the emergence of images that have a bright emotional coloring, caused by the influence of ecstasy.

Hallucinations occur due to errors or malfunctions in the work of certain sense organs.

Reasons for the development of an attack

According to experts, the causes of hallucinogenic seizures are closely related to their form of severity. So, with a visual attack, which manifests itself in the form of visions that have nothing to do with the surrounding reality, the patient may not take any part in the development of the plot. The causes of hallucinations of this kind are associated with the reception various means that change consciousness. Most often, visual images occur against the background of the abuse of psychostimulant drugs, narcotic substances and alcohol. Much less often, such images arise under the influence of mental illness among which are partial seizures and schizophrenia. The development of visual and auditory hallucinations can be caused by acute intoxication of the body.

Olfactory seizures are a specific symptom that is characteristic of an organic brain lesion. Infectious encephalitis, schizophrenia, and partial seizures can cause both olfactory and auditory perceptual disturbances. Often, such manifestations are formed as a result of a sharp refusal to drink alcohol. In a state known as "alcoholic squirrel", a person feels various smells, sounds and sees frightening images. The presence of severe mental disorders can increase the severity of hallucinations.

Each of the types of hallucinatory seizures has a bright emotional color. The higher the power of expression, the more a person is involved in his visions. If the attack proceeds without a bright color, there is a possibility that the patient will not take a direct part in it.

It should be noted that the mechanism of development of such attacks is still a mystery to researchers. According to them, hallucinations are an integral part of the aging process. On the background age-related changes in the body, most people experience a decrease in intellectual abilities, which can lead to dementia, paranoia and other diseases that are characterized by such visions.

Clinical picture

The symptoms of hallucinations are difficult to combine into one conditional group, since their severity depends on the specific sensitive organ that receives distorted signals. Visual attacks have nothing to do with taste hallucinations. The only thing that unites these concepts is the unreality of what is happening.

The main symptom of this phenomenon is various shape perception of objects and images that are inaccessible to others. In the real world, these phenomena are absent, but the patient continues to assure people around him of the presence of various smells or sounds.

Hallucinatory phenomena can cover both the external world and internal sensations. In the case when the appearance of various images is accompanied by manifestations of delirium, the presence of hallucinosis is diagnosed. This disease has a chronic form and is characterized as a condition in which the patient retains the ability to control his behavior.

Hallucinations belong to the field of unknown phenomena, among which there are still many unusual and mysterious

Therapy Methods

Treatment of hallucinations is prescribed only after a complete medical examination and a detailed study of the causes of seizures. The main emphasis in treatment is on the elimination of the pathology that provoked the appearance of hallucinatory images. In the case of severe diseases that are chronic, it is the task of the attending physician to try to mitigate the severity of the attacks.

A drug that would help get rid of all types of seizures, today, does not exist. The treatment strategy is determined on the basis of the reasons for the formation of hallucinations and their severity. Each patient is treated individually. This means that the necessary drugs are selected taking into account specific factors. When hallucinatory visions caused by taking drugs change consciousness, the main task of specialists is to cleanse the body of their components.

In the event that the patient poses a danger to the people around him, he is isolated. As part of complex treatment, drugs are used, the action of which is aimed at relieving stress. nervous system. For this purpose, medicines such as Haloperidol and Tizerin are used.

Sessions of psychotherapeutic correction are an integral part of the rehabilitation process. In order to save the patient from various attacks, it is necessary first of all to restore his mental health. Treatment methods, as mentioned above, are selected on an individual basis.

In psychology, special attention is paid to hallucinations, which come in various types and symptoms. The reasons for their occurrence often lie in the brain, where there are corresponding images, sounds, sensations that do not exist. Psychologists talk about the need to treat the person who has hallucinations, because they do not talk about the presence of health.

Hallucinations are the perception by the senses of something that is not in reality. You can see portals to other worlds, demons that surround you, hear voices, etc. In ancient times, these manifestations were considered normal and even desirable. It seemed to people that in this way they are connected with the divine worlds, which can endow them with knowledge or power.

The most primitive method of achieving hallucinations is the use of special mushrooms or alcohol in large quantities. Do not forget about drugs, under the influence of which people also experience certain sensations.

Hallucinations are an illusion, a deception, a mirage that does not exist in reality. Some scientists explain this by the fact that signals in the brain appear in different places, because of which the pictures are mixed up and begin to distort reality.

However, there are more pathological causes of hallucinations. These are diseases when the activity of the brain is disrupted. There are many mental illnesses that include hallucinations as one of the symptoms.

Treatment of all types of hallucinations is carried out exclusively with medication. Only doctors can help restore health or improve it.

What are hallucinations?

People often use the word hallucinations. What it is? This is the perception of the surrounding world, the appearance of a picture without a real external stimulus. In simple words, a person can see a chair, although in fact it is surrounded only by trees.

This may be the result of severe overwork, when people often use various medicinal and psychotropic substances for self-soothing, as well as serious neurological diseases. In the outside world there is no stimulus that is seen or felt by a person. He sees images that are not there, sounds that do not sound, sensations that are not produced by the outside world. Hallucinations are an error in perception by the senses when a person hears, sees or feels something that is not really there.

Conventionally, hallucinations are divided into:

true - images that are projected outside and do not differ from real objects, have persuasiveness and sensually bright color;
pseudohallucinations - sensations projected in the inner sphere of consciousness as a result of the influence of an external force.

Pseudo-hallucinations are violent and obsessive in nature, in which it seems to the patient that he is really being influenced by third parties. He begins to distrust people, to believe in aliens, otherworldly forces, because this is the only way he can explain the occurrence of his sensations.

Hallucinations should be distinguished from:

Mirages are images that obey the laws of physics.
Illusions - a distorted perception of real-life objects.

Hallucinations appear without the presence of real objects, people and phenomena to which the person refers.

Types of hallucinations

There are types of hallucinations, which depend on which sense organ they are perceived through:

Visual.
Auditory.
Olfactory.
Taste.
General: muscular and visceral.

Auditory hallucinations are divided into the following types:

Elementary: voices, noises, sounds.
Verbal, which are imperative, motor speech, commenting, threatening, contrasting illusory perception.

Imperative hallucinations are commanding in nature, often causing the patient to commit a bad deed. He is not able to resist, therefore he becomes dangerous both for himself and for those around him. The patient can cut off his finger, kill someone or hit, rob, etc.

Threatening hallucinations are expressed in hearing voices that threaten the patient with something: to kill, offend, hit, etc.

A contrasting hallucination is a dialogue between two voices directed at each other. One voice can condemn the patient, talk about the need for punishment. Another voice will defend him timidly, pointing to the possibility of delaying the punishment. Voices speak among themselves, giving the patient only orders, contradictory friend.

Speech-motor hallucinations are expressed in the fact that it seems to the patient that some force has taken possession of his voice, tongue and mouth and is now transmitting some messages through him. Often it seems to a person that he speaks a different language, although in fact he speaks his own.

Visual hallucinations are the second most common and are divided into the following types:

Elementary: smoke, flash of light, fog.
Subject:

Zoopsia is the vision of animals.
Polyopic - a vision of many identical, carbon-copy, illusory objects.
Demonomanic - vision of characters from mythology, aliens.
Diplopic - vision of forked images.
Panoramic - vision of vivid pictures.
Scene-like - a vision of some storylines.
Endoscopic - seeing other objects inside your body.
Autovisceroscopic - a vision of one's internal organs.
Autoscopic - a vision of their doubles, which copy the behavior of the patient. Sometimes it is the inability to see yourself in the mirror.
Microscopic - vision of people in reduced sizes.
Macroscopic - Seeing things magnified.
Adelomorphic - vision of objects is fuzzy, without configuration and forms.
Extracampal - visions with angular vision. When you turn your head in their direction, the visions stop.
Hemianopsia - loss of one half of the vision.

Hallucinations of Charles Bonnet characterize their appearance with a true violation of perception by the senses. With otitis, auditory hallucinations may occur, and with retinal detachment, visual hallucinations may occur.

Olfactory hallucinations often overlap with olfactory illusions, when a person thinks that he hears smells of a disgusting nature. For example, he can smell the smell of a decaying body. Often this leads to food refusal.

Taste hallucinations may be accompanied by olfactory hallucinations, when a taste of rot can be felt in the mouth, etc.

Tactile hallucinations are expressed in sensations on the body, which are divided into the following types:

Hygric - the feeling of fluid on the body.
Thermal - touching an object of low or high temperature.
Haptic - girth from the back.
Internal or external zoopathy - sensation of insects on or under the skin.

Depending on the analyzer, hallucinations are divided into:

Reflex - irritation of one analyzer after exposure to another.
Psychomotor (kinesthetic) - the sensation of movement of individual parts of the body in the absence of any movements in the real world.
Ecstatic - bright, emotional images under the influence of ecstasy.

Hallucinations in children are often confused with illusions that help little people learn about the world around them.

Causes of hallucinations

Visual hallucinations are visions that are not supported by anything from real life. The patient can take part in them. The causes of their occurrence can be the abuse of alcohol (alcoholic delirium), drugs, psychostimulants (LSD, cocaine, etc.), medications (for example, antidepressants).

Another cause of both visual and auditory hallucinations is a mental illness, for example, peduncular, schizophrenia, partial seizure. The effect of poisoning should also be noted.

Olfactory hallucinations are the result of various mental illnesses (schizophrenia), brain defects (damage to the temporal lobe). Encephalitis provoked by herpes, partial seizures provoke not only olfactory, but also taste hallucinations.

Tactile hallucinations may be the result. It also causes visual and auditory hallucinations. Unpleasant sensations inside the body can be caused by encephalitis or schizophrenia.

Hallucinations are distinguished by their emotionality and brightness. The brighter and more emotional the visions, the more a person is involved in them. Otherwise, he simply remains indifferent.

Scientists cannot clearly identify the factors that influence the occurrence of hallucinations. The reasons are still unclear to the end and unexplored. However, another factor stands out - mass suggestion, when a large number of people can see what they have been taught. This will be called "mass psychosis", when healthy people simply submit to external influences.

Other causes of hallucinations include:

Aging. In the body there are inevitable changes for the worse. Dementia, paranoia and other illnesses can provoke various visions.
Decreased mood, fear of death, pessimism, increased anxiety also provoke various visions.
Taking hallucinogenic mushrooms.

Here is a list of diseases on the mental health website website that provoke hallucinations:

Alcoholic psychosis.
Schizophrenia.
A brain tumor.
Herpetic encephalitis.
Syphilis.
Infectious diseases.
Cerebral atherosclerosis.
Hypothermia.
Decompensation of cardiovascular diseases.
Rheumatic diseases of the vessels and heart.
Amenia.
Psychosis.

Symptoms of hallucinations

Hallucinations differ in their symptoms only in what they manifest themselves in. Visual hallucinations will be different from olfactory ones. However, they all have one symptom - the vision of what does not exist.

Symptoms may be:

Vision of movement under the skin, changes in internal organs.
Smells that no one else can smell.
Hearing voices that no one else can hear.
Hearing slamming doors, knocks, footsteps, music in their absence.
Seeing patterns, creatures, lights that no one else sees.

The main symptom is that a person sees or hears what is not available to others. Nothing happens in the world, but the patient talks about the presence of some creatures, sounds, smells, etc.

Hallucinations can occur both in the outside world and affect the human body. If they are profuse and accompanied by delirium, then we are talking about hallucinosis. This disorder often becomes chronic condition, in which the patient can maintain orderliness of behavior, a critical attitude to visions or voices, and performance.

People with dementia often have visual hallucinations. People with paranoia have gustatory, olfactory, or tactile hallucinations.

Treatment of hallucinations

Before proceeding with the treatment of hallucinations, doctors examine the patient to identify the causes of their occurrence. The main therapy is aimed at eliminating the disease that provoked the disease, otherwise it is aimed at eliminating or alleviating the symptoms.

There is no single course of therapy, since there are many causes of hallucinations. In medicine, an individual approach is used, where medicines are selected according to what doctors are trying to cure.

If hallucinations are provoked by taking drugs or psychotropic substances, then they are excluded from use. Also, the patient's body is cleaned if poisoning has been detected.

The patient is isolated: either closed in the house, or hospitalized in a psychiatric hospital. Drugs are used to relieve tension, as well as eliminate hallucinations and delusions. Tizercin, Aminazine, Haloperidol, Trisedil are administered intramuscularly.

Individual psychotherapy is also used, which is aimed at restoring a person's mental health. The set of measures is individual, depending on the causes and symptoms of hallucinations.

Forecast

Refusing treatment is not advisable. Hallucinations are a progressive disease that will only worsen the patient's condition. Forecast in this case will be disappointing, since a person is not able to distinguish the real from the imaginary.

The result of the lack of treatment can only be the development of the disease, when a person will increasingly move away from reality, plunging into his own world. Depending on the effect of hallucinations, life expectancy may be shortened or remain unchanged.

If the hallucinations are caused by diseases or the use of psychotropic substances, then the patient himself will not be able to help himself. His body will be destroyed, consciousness will begin to change, which will put the patient's life into question: how long will he live?

Hallucinations do not indicate a healthy state of a person. If they occur, then you should consult a doctor who will begin individual treatment aimed at restoring the functioning of the brain.

Many people believe that hallucinations, regardless of the reason for their appearance, are a sign of some kind, therefore they appear only in not quite mentally healthy people. In fact, this is not so, and modern medicine has repeatedly proved the fallacy of this statement, although this delusion has many supporters to this day. Various hallucinations, the causes of which can be very diverse, do not at all indicate the incapacity of the patient; in most cases, after the elimination of the causes of hallucinations, it completely disappears.

The nature of hallucinations

A hallucination is a deception of the perception of reality, in which absolutely any sense organ can participate. Most often, patients talk about auditory and visual hallucinations, but they can also be tactile, olfactory and tactile. In some cases, hallucinations, the causes of which can be very serious, themselves provoke mental disorders, because a person is used to orienting himself and trusting his senses, and when the possibility of this is lost, disorientation in reality sets in. Patients rarely report their hallucinations to relatives or friends or seek help on their own, because, in their opinion, this is tantamount to admitting their own mental inferiority, but with appropriate therapy, in most cases, hallucinations are eliminated without any consequences or relapses.

Causes of hallucinations

As you know, hallucinations, the causes of which can be divided into endogenous and exogenous, can occur in patients of any age and gender. In some cases, the reason is the lack of material for perception in the sensory system, in connection with which the nervous system begins to send false impulses. Even being in silence, we hear certain sounds, for example, the creaking of floorboards or the rustling of mice in the basement, but if a person is isolated from any source of information, for example, by placing him in a punishment cell or solitary confinement for especially dangerous criminals, then over time he begins to see or hear something that is not there.

Quite often, hallucinations occur from lack of sleep, when an overstrained brain creates unrealistic pictures due to a violation of the conditions for normal functioning. Such visions do not require special treatment and disappear after the patient sleeps normally. In cases where visions are caused by a disease, such as hallucinations after a stroke, the patient can only be helped by eliminating the cause of the disorder, but most often drug treatment is effective.

Most often, the cause of hallucinations is the ingestion of psychotropic substances or toxins, which can occur either with the knowledge of the patient or completely by accident. After the cessation of the action of the substances, any visions go away by themselves, it is possible to prescribe an additional course of detoxification. Sometimes hallucinations, the causes of which are associated with any strong emotion, are caused not only by fear or anger, but also by feelings of love and jealousy.

What to do?

It should be remembered that hallucinations are in any case a cause for concern, so you need to contact a specialist to determine the exact cause of their occurrence. This should not frighten the patient, because hallucinations, the causes of which can be very diverse, can most often be eliminated and a full life can be continued. If you refuse medical care, then the manifestations of this symptom will only intensify, which can really lead to thoughts about your own madness.

From this article you will learn:

What are hallucinations in older people?

Why are hallucinations dangerous in older people?

Can hallucinations in the elderly be cured?

Are there home treatments for hallucinations or does it need to be done in a hospital?

Aging is a natural process, accompanied by changes on the physical and mental level, as well as hormonal disorders. Elderly people constantly complain about diseases, wrinkles, loss of energy and the inability to do the work that they used to do. It is much harder for retirees than for young people to keep fit and exercise, but even if they try to do this, they are still not immune from the development of mental disorders. This article aims to explain why hallucinations occur in the elderly, what forms they manifest themselves in and whether they can be prevented.

What are hallucinations in older people?

Hallucinations are manifestations of an abnormal perception of reality. They are expressed in the form of any sensations and images that arise arbitrarily without previous exposure to any stimulus and become for people an objective reflection of reality. Hallucinations in the elderly are part of the majority of mental impairment syndromes and are a symptom of many diseases. This symptom is also very common after ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes, in diseases associated with various types exchange. The mechanism of the appearance of hallucinations in the elderly has not only not yet been fully elucidated, but it can be said for sure that their development is based on pathological changes in the brain structures responsible for the perception of stimuli and the formation of an adequate response to them.

There are two main types of hallucinations: true and pseudo hallucinations. The first type is characterized by the fact that such hallucinations are perceived as realistically as possible, and it seems to people that they perceive them with the help of the senses. The second type of hallucinations, they are also called false, lack this characteristic, and the resulting visions are transmitted directly to the brain. True hallucinations, in turn, are also divided into a number of groups:

Spontaneous. They appear without any impact on the receptors of the human senses.

Functional. They develop under the influence of various stimuli on sensitive endings.

Reflex. They arise when a stimulus is exposed to any one perceiving apparatus, but are regarded as stimulation of another sense organ. For example, when exposed to noise, the patient observes some kind of visual image.

Hallucinations in the elderly are usually visual, olfactory, and vestibular, but other types may occur. Usually they go in combination with a distortion of taste sensations, impaired hearing and superficial sensitivity.

The reasons hallucinations in the elderly are very different:

Tumor-like growths in the brain.

chronic intoxication.

Various infectious diseases.

Side effects medicines.

Sleep disorders.

Prolonged isolation from the social environment.

Epilepsy.

Schizophrenia.

Other pathological changes in the psyche.

The frequency of occurrence and the degree of intensity of hallucinations in the elderly depends on the course of the underlying disease. Hallucinations appear due to delirium, paranoia, taking any psychoactive drugs. Senile hallucinations, as a rule, have a stable character, especially in psychoses and schizophrenia. Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, dementia can also become their cause. Can lead to the development of hallucinations in the elderly vascular pathologies such as atherosclerosis or hypertension.

The evidence that the vascular symptom complex is the basis of the disorders can be considered:

Wavy course of seizures.

The combination of pathological changes in memory and incontinence.

The impression of serious brain disorders.

Vascular diseases in most cases lead to brain damage, which is expressed in the attenuation of cognitive functions, changes in the nature and behavior of a person. These transformations can grow slowly, but psychosis can also occur, which is based on damage to the vessels of the brain. The fading of cognitive functions also has an effect on hallucinations, which at the same time become less realistic and vivid.

At atherosclerotic damage to the cerebral arteries in the elderly, it is also possible to develop a hallucinatory-delusional syndrome. There are also endomorphic psychoses of vascular origin, in particular, chronic verbal hallucinosis, which is characterized by the appearance of hallucinations in the late evening or at night. Hallucinations are also isolated, the development of which is associated with hormonal pathology. For example, they can be found in thyrotoxicosis. In addition to all of the above, hallucinations also appear in infectious diseases such as syphilis or herpes.

Elderly people often complain about the deterioration of the work of analyzers, especially visual and auditory. It is worth noting that even completely blind people are able to see hallucinations. In medical practice, this phenomenon is called Charles Bonnet syndrome in honor of the author who first described it from the words of his grandfather. People who have severe visual impairment are able to see both simple geometric shapes and human faces.

Usually, older people understand that hallucinations are unrealistic, but they often keep silent about them so that others do not consider them crazy. In fact, the main reason for the appearance of hallucinations in this case is that with loss of visual and auditory sensations the corresponding areas of the cerebral cortex do not receive signals from the outside. In these parts of the brain, impulses begin to spontaneously generate, creating various visual and auditory images.

Auditory hallucinations in older people occur more often than others. Patients wake up at night from suspicious noises and rustles, they can even hear clear words and phrases. Such people constantly imagine that the neighbors are always talking loudly or quarreling, but in fact they may not even be at home. Some hallucinations are so vivid that patients hear several different voices that condemn people for their actions in the past. Such strong hallucinations can drive a person to suicide.

There are also such hallucinations in the elderly, when an invisible interlocutor forces them to injure themselves or loved ones, or scares them by telling that they want to kill the patient in a dream, cripple or take away property. As a rule, such hallucinations occur in those who suffer from extremely severe mental disorders.

The second most common in the elderly are visual hallucinations. Patients observe light flashes, silhouettes of people and animals, various mythical and magical creatures. Sometimes patients talk about being chased by aliens or even doppelgangers. In the eyes of an elderly person, whole ideas are unfolding that are so realistic that the patient does not even have the thought that in fact all this is not there.

Auditory and visual illusions are often combined with olfactory and gustatory. In the first situation, older people periodically or constantly feel strange or even unpleasant odors. For example, elderly woman it often seems that the aroma of her late husband's cologne hovers in the apartment, and she firmly believes that it was his spirit who decided to visit her.

In the case of taste hallucinations, patients refuse to eat due to a perversion of taste sensations. Food seems to them either too salty or too bitter. Patients who are extremely quick-tempered can even throw a plate of food off the table, as it may seem to them at any moment that they are being poisoned. In some cases, hallucinations in the elderly can be the main cause of a panic attack or paranoid attack. There are also tactile hallucinations. Older people may wake up at night due to the fact that it begins to seem to them that someone is walking on a blanket or bed. Such patients feel touches that frighten them. They can feel the breath of creatures from the underworld on their skin. Elderly people suffering from tactile hallucinations are convinced that gas bubbles explode in their intestines, and electrical discharges pierce their limbs. Sometimes it seems to patients that various insects scurry about their body, and worms crawl under the skin. Such elderly people often have sleep disturbances, they toss and turn for a long time at night and cannot fall asleep, they try to sleep in the daytime. Old people who are tormented by hallucinations may become lethargic or extremely short-tempered and explosive. Many of them hide their visions, but at the same time they complain of pain of various localization and lack of appetite. Hallucinations in the elderly can lead to the fact that they are able to sit for hours, staring at one point, talking to themselves. Some patients become extremely conflicted, blame all the people around them for their problems, most often the next of kin get it. Psychologists are convinced that to fully cure hallucinations in the elderly on this stage development of medicine is impossible. And in the future, this will not be easy to do, because most of the diseases that affect the elderly are caused by irreversible changes in the body. Now the main goal of therapy is to identify the main causes of hallucinations and act on them with the help of medicines.

How to treat hallucinations in the elderly

Is it possible to treat illusions exclusively at home? Of course not. The patient must be taken as soon as possible to an appointment with a psychiatrist or neurologist, even in cases where the patient seems calm and harmless. This phenomenon is inconsistent, and at any second he can become aggressive and harm himself or those around him. Relatives are also advised to consult with a specialist so that he can suggest how best to behave with a sick person. It is worth remembering that the doctor is not entitled to prescribe a cure for hallucinations to the elderly until he personally sees and examines the patient. Before meeting with the patient, the specialist will only be able to teach you how to properly behave with him, and also prompt competent words so that you can persuade the old man to go to see a psychiatrist. And what to do in those cases when an elderly person becomes violent and begins to rush at others? Immediately call the police and a team of medical personnel who can subdue the rebel and take him to the hospital. The doctor should not only talk with an elderly person, but also conduct a comprehensive examination of the whole body in order to exclude the presence of an infectious disease, intoxication or malignant neoplasm. For this purpose, the patient should be given general analyzes blood and urine, conduct computed and magnetic resonance imaging.

In order to make the most of effective treatment hallucinations, doctors should be aware of all the diseases that the patient suffers from. Relatives need to carefully monitor elderly patients, their behavior and health. After all, the sooner suspicious symptoms are noticed, the sooner treatment will be prescribed and the greater the chances of recovery.

It is worthwhile to understand that others are unlikely to be able to convince an elderly person that all his visions are unreal. Hallucinations draw the patient in to such an extent that he completely denies the fact of their implausibility. Elderly people suffering from this disease are prescribed drugs from the groups of antipsychotics, tranquilizers and sedatives. Hallucinations that appeared due to intoxication with drugs and alcohol are eliminated by cleansing procedures. In their process, toxic substances are eliminated from the body, and then rehabilitation therapy is prescribed. Relief of seizures is carried out in stationary conditions, but further care and monitoring of the elderly is carried out by relatives. What should be done to prevent or at least delay the onset of new attacks? It is necessary to carefully protect the patient from stressful situations, make sure that he takes medication in a timely manner and goes to see a doctor. Psychosocial and behavioral therapy can prolong the period of remission. In rare cases, hallucinations in older people may go away. In order for them not to pursue an elderly person regularly, it is necessary to contact and strictly observe all medical prescriptions as soon as possible. Only in this situation, therapy will have a positive effect and the patient will again be able to become a full-fledged member of society.
The treatment of hallucinations in the elderly must be carried out with extreme caution and under constant supervision. Relief of seizures is carried out with the help of neuroleptics, and motor excitation is removed with drugs from the group of tranquilizers. When choosing medications and their dosage, the doctor must take into account the individual tolerance of the patient, his sensitivity, as well as the presence of concomitant ailments. It should also, if possible, correct the vision and hearing of an elderly person.

Hallucinations are the perception of images in the absence of an external stimulus. A person sees or hears something that does not really exist. These phenomena occur in people with psychiatric pathology or in healthy individuals under certain circumstances.

Diseases for which the symptom is characteristic:

psychosis;
schizophrenia;
epilepsy;
poisoning with various substances;
alcohol or drug intoxication;
postpartum depression;
tumor or brain metastases;
Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease;
brain stroke;
migraine.

Development mechanism

Visual hallucinations are the imaginary perception of non-existent images. Such a violation occurs in psychiatric diseases or temporarily in healthy people due to various reasons.

The mechanism of occurrence of hallucinations is not exactly understood today. Psychiatrists and physiologists distinguish two theories of their appearance. The first opinion speaks of the psychological nature of perceptual disturbance, but this theory is imperfect.

In practical medicine, they are more committed to the theory of corticosensory stimulation. Based on the experimental works of neurophysiologists. According to the theory, hallucinations occur due to mechanical or chemical stimulation of certain sensorimotor centers of the brain.

Types of hallucinations

Depending on the sense organs involved in the process, hallucinations are:

visual (when the patient sees non-existent objects);
auditory (the patient hears sounds that are not present);
olfactory (sensation of imaginary odors);
tactile (a person feels touch or non-existent objects);
bodily (unusual, sophisticated feelings during internal organs eg: intestinal torsion, insect bites in the stomach).

Also, hallucinations are divided into simple and complex. If the imaginary perception affects one sense organ, then the hallucination is simple. If the patient hears, sees and feels non-existent objects, hallucinations are complex.

True and false hallucinations

Imaginary perception is classified into true and false.

True hallucinations are perceived by the patient as real objects, sounds, they have a certain shape, frequency, timbre. When these phenomena occur, the patient's behavior changes: he looks closely or listens to a non-existent object. A person can accurately describe the image that appears.

With false or pseudo-hallucinations, the perceived object or phenomenon is located in an illusory mental space. The patient cannot describe the location, the shape of the object. Most often, pseudohallucinations occur in schizophrenia. The patient hears voices in his head, but cannot describe their exact projection, says that he "hears them with his brain." A person's behavior does not change with a false perception, since there is no need to look closely at what a person does not see.

Possible reasons

In mentally healthy people, illusions or visual hallucinations occur due to:

effects on the brain of toxic substances (alcohol abuse - alcoholics often have visual hallucinations in the form of rats, spiders; drug use and hallucinogens);
tumor or brain metastases (neoplasms mechanically irritate sensory areas);
severe intoxication (with severe infectious diseases, pneumonia, oncological intoxication);
overwork, lack of sleep;
taking medications with side effect in the form of hallucinations.

At the same time, patients have criticism of their condition.

Visual imaginary images are characteristic of damage to the central nervous system and occur in such conditions:

psychoses (complex hallucinations are more characteristic);
affective disorder, schizophrenia (characterized by the development of pseudohallucinations, delusions, behavioral disorders, lack of criticism of one's condition);
epilepsy, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

Important! Visual hallucinations are a violation of perception in the form of visual images that do not exist in reality. This symptom occurs with somatic diseases, overwork, the presence of mental pathology. Treatment consists in eliminating the underlying disease. In some cases, you will need to take specific drugs

Risk factors

Risk factors for this symptom include:

hereditary predisposition (high probability of a psychiatric disease if there were cases of this disease in the family);
frequent or excessive use of alcohol or other drugs;
elderly or children's age;
prolonged fever;
trauma or vascular lesions of the brain.

Associated symptoms in various diseases

For differential diagnosis and differentiation of pathological conditions, accompanying symptoms play an important role.

For migraine, in addition to impaired perception, attacks of a specific headache, photophobia are characteristic.

In Alzheimer's disease, dementia, fear, anxiety, and memory loss are observed.

Epilepsy is characterized by a history of seizures and memory impairment.

In the presence of general intoxication symptoms, cough or rash, we can talk about an infectious disease.

Oncological diseases are characterized by weakness, weight loss, nausea, vomiting, and a history of neoplasm. With a brain tumor, there is a violation of memory, behavior, hearing or vision, headaches.

With alcoholism, you can notice a change in personality, the smell of alcohol from the mouth, a history of abuse.

hallucinations in the elderly

In old age, atrophic and vascular changes in the brain are observed. This leads to the development of senile dementia, which is characterized by a reduced concentration of attention and memory. The appearance of anxiety, tremor of the limbs, visual hallucinations. Older people, especially lonely ones, have a disturbed perception of reality as a compensation for the lack of communication and isolation.

Alzheimer's disease, in the case of hallucinations, has an unfavorable, severe course.

People over the age of 70 with a lack of hearing or vision have Charles Bonnet's hallucinosis. It consists in the appearance of visual imaginary perceptions in the form of spots, then the visions become more complicated, take on the appearance of three-dimensional objects or people. These individuals retain criticism of their condition, but gradually they are involved in communication with imaginary people.

Sometimes people over 60 have a feeling of crawling insects, pricks, unusual pains in the body. Symptoms arise due to coronary heart disease, atherosclerotic lesions of the cerebral vessels.

hallucinations in children

Due to the physiological immaturity of the nervous system, in preschool and school age illusions are often observed. This is due to the inability to clearly distinguish between the real and the imaginary. The reason for this may be overwork, increased excitability and impressionability, stress in the family. Many children think that toys come to life or see dark figures in the window.

As well as in adults, perception is disturbed in children with fever or severe intoxication, epilepsy.

Hallucinations during the manifestation of psychiatric problems, such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, are accompanied by a change in the child's behavior, delirium, sleep disturbance.

Doctor's advice. Do not tell the child what he saw. This further damages the child's psyche. Surround him with attention and care, consult a doctor to solve this problem

When and which doctor to contact

If visual or other types of perceptual disturbances appear, you should contact:

Diagnostics

For diagnosis and correct diagnosis, data from such tests will be needed:

clinical blood test (for the diagnosis of infectious lesions);
blood test for alcohol and other drugs;
encephalography (to detect pathological foci and symmetry of the brain stem structures);
magnetic resonance imaging of the brain (to exclude a tumor, metastases or other neoplasms of the brain.

After receiving the results of diagnostic tests, the doctor will find out the cause of the development of an unpleasant symptom. The anamnesis of life and disease also plays an important role.

Treatment

To start adequate therapy, find out the cause of hallucinations.

If the cause is fatigue, stress, lack of sleep, they normalize sleep and rest. It is possible to take sedatives based on herbs (Persen, Tenoten, valerian extract).

When an imaginary perception appears during an infectious disease, dehydration, detoxification, if necessary, antibiotic therapy is carried out.

The occurrence of hallucinations against the background of the use of drugs or alcohol syndrome is treated by detoxification measures. The patient should begin treatment for alcohol dependence.

At oncological disease the issue of surgical treatment or chemotherapy. If these methods are not effective, resort to symptomatic treatment.

If the patient is disturbed by hallucinations due to psychiatric disorders (schizophrenia, psychosis, bipolar disorder), treatment is carried out in a specialized clinic. In this situation, neuroleptics and tranquilizers are used.

To treat perceptual disorders in children with somatic diseases, it is necessary to influence the underlying disease. In case of poisoning - detoxification, with high fever, it is necessary to reduce body temperature.

In the presence of epilepsy, both in adults and in children, it is necessary to choose anticonvulsant therapy.

In the treatment of senile delirium, the main thing is to eliminate the cause (fight against infection, organic lesions). In the event that delirium is caused by dementia, the acute period is stopped and supportive therapy is performed.

Help with hallucinations: do's and don'ts

In the event of hallucinations, the patient should not be reassured, since he sees these objects as realistically as other objects. It is better to calm the patient and play along so that the person calms down. Don't make fun of or make fun of the problem.

You need to see a doctor to find out the cause of the symptom. If the patient becomes dangerous to himself or others, call an ambulance.

Complications

In case of untimely treatment for an unpleasant symptom, the condition that caused the hallucinations may worsen. In the presence of alcoholism, alcoholic delirium develops. If a patient with schizophrenia has hallucinations, this indicates an exacerbation of the disease.

Forecast

The prognosis depends on the underlying cause. If the appearance of imaginary objects has developed as a result of a somatic disease or poisoning, then when the cause is eliminated, the symptom disappears.

If the patient has mental disorder, the prognosis for recovery is poor. But with adequate therapy and socialization, it is possible to minimize exacerbation and achieve stable remission.

Prevention

The main prevention is a healthy lifestyle and refusal to use drugs, taking prescribed drugs, rest, finding the opportunity to avoid stressful situations.

Medications that cause hallucinations

Medications that cause hallucinations:

narcotic analgesics;
some antibiotics and antiviral drugs;
sulfonamides, anti-tuberculosis;
anticonvulsant, antiparkinsonian;
antidepressants;
cardiotropic, antihypertensive;
psychostimulants, tranquilizers;
drugs: mescaline, cocaine, crack and LSD.

If, while taking such drugs, the patient has imaginary images, it is worth telling the doctor about it. The doctor will cancel, reduce the dosage, or change the appropriate medication.