If you're like most folks, you probably think hallucinations have to do with seeing things that aren't really there. But there's a lot more to it than that. It could mean you touch or even smell something that doesn't exist. There are many different causes. It could be
a mental illness called schizophrenia, a nervous system problem like
Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, or of a number of other things. If you or a loved one has hallucinations, go see a doctor. You can get treatments that help control them, but a lot depends on what's behind the trouble. There are a few different types. Hallucinations most often result from:What Are Hallucinations?
Common Causes of Hallucinations
You may sense that the sounds are coming from inside or outside your mind. You might hear the voices talking to each other or feel like they're telling you to do something. Causes could include: For example, you might: Sometimes they look like flashes of light. A rare type of seizure called "occipital"
may cause you to see brightly colored spots or shapes. Other causes include: You may think the odor is coming from something around you, or that it's coming from your own body. Causes can include: You may
feel that something you eat or drink has an odd taste. Causes can include:Hearing
Things (Auditory Hallucinations)
Seeing Things (Visual Hallucinations)
Smelling Things (Olfactory Hallucinations)
Tasting Things (Gustatory Hallucinations)
- Temporal lobe disease
- Brain lesions
- Sinus diseases
- Epilepsy
Feeling Things (Tactile or Somatic Hallucinations)
You might think you're being tickled even when no one else is around, or you may feel like insects are crawling on or under your skin. You could feel a blast of hot air on your face that isn't real. Causes include:
- Schizophrenia
- Schizoaffective disorder
- Drugs that make you hallucinate
- Delirium tremens
- Alcohol
- Alzheimer's disease
- Lewy body dementia
- Parkinson's disease
Diagnosis and Treatment of Hallucinations
First, your doctor needs to find out what's causing your hallucinations. They'll ask about your medical history and do a physical exam. Then they'll ask about your symptoms.
They may need to do tests to help figure out the problem. For instance, an EEG, or electroencephalogram, checks for unusual patterns of electrical activity in your brain. It could show if your hallucinations are due to seizures.
You might get an MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, which uses powerful magnets and radio waves to make pictures of the inside of your body. It can find out if a brain tumor or something else, like an area that's had a small stroke, could be to blame.
Your doctor will treat the condition that's causing the hallucinations. This can include things like:
- Medication for schizophrenia or dementias like Alzheimer's disease
- Antiseizure drugs to treat epilepsy
- Treatment for macular degeneration, glaucoma, and cataracts
- Surgery or radiation to treat tumors
- Drugs called triptans, beta-blockers, or anticonvulsants for people with migraines
Your doctor may prescribe pimavanserin (Nuplazid). This medicine treats hallucinations and delusions linked to psychosis that affect some people with Parkinson’s disease.
Sessions with a therapist can also help. For example, cognitive behavioral therapy, which focuses on changes in thinking and behavior, helps some people manage their symptoms better.