What drugs cause hallucinations. What are visual hallucinations and how to deal with them. Illness and hallucinations

Any psychiatrist today will say that the mechanism of the formation of hallucinations and, in fact, their etiology is not fully understood, but there is certain knowledge in this area, which sometimes very successfully allows you to deal with phenomena and images that do not exist in reality.

A hallucination is a deceptive perception of reality, caused by a malfunction of the sense organs and the brain, as a result of which a person develops different kind visions that other people do not see.

Hallucinations are divided into:
- auditory;
- visual;
- tactile (that is, when a person feels touches that are not there);
- taste;
- tactile (that is, when various smells are felt).

It is believed that these hallucinations are caused by both various types of diseases and the use of higher doses drugs, alcohol and toxic substances.

Hallucinations due to a mental disorder

In the first place in terms of the activity of the formation of hallucinations are mental illnesses, which include:
- schizophrenia (in all its manifestations and types);
- epilepsy;
- various hallucinatory syndromes;
- alcohol withdrawal syndrome, delirium (delirious tremens);
- heart attack;
- various psychoses.

All these types of diseases are accompanied to some extent by hallucinations, which can be eliminated with the help of psychopharmacological drugs. With these diseases, hallucinations are caused by a malfunction of the central nervous system and the brain, which forms false visions and sensations in the sensory organs due to the violation.

hallucinations due to poisoning

Artificial disruption of the brain is caused by various narcotic drugs, such as:
- marijuana:
- LSD;
- amphetamine;
- poppy drugs ( and );
These substances have been taken by Indian tribes and South African peoples since ancient times to induce visions during the performance of various religious cults. Substances have been modified and have come down to our times, today they are considered drugs that are prohibited for free circulation.

Also, hallucinations are caused by the intake of various kinds of toxic substances, by inhaling them. These substances include:
- synthetic adhesives;
- various types of varnishes and paints;
- solvents;
- gasoline. When the vapors of these substances are inhaled, a person experiences hypoxia and false hypoxia of the brain (there is a change in the chemical compound in the brain cell), which provokes ephemeral visual images.

Hallucinations can also be caused by various medications - mainly painkillers and psychotropic drugs - when the recommended dosage is exceeded. These drugs include:
- anticonvulsants;
- antihistamines;
- antidepressants;
- psychostimulants;
- tranquilizers;
- some types of anti-tuberculosis drugs;
- antihistamines;
- narcotic analgesics.

Violation of the perception of the external world in the form of sensations and images that arise without a real object, but which have the character of objective reality for the patient.

There are a number of human conditions in which its interaction with the environment is disturbed, and the perceived information takes the form of hallucinations or illusions, consisting of representations or memories stored in the memory of patients. The important thing is that they are not subject to the will and desires of the patient, which is their difference from fantasies. Hallucinatory images can appear in children, adults, especially the elderly, making them timely detection and treatment is extremely important, as they complicate a person's life, disrupting adaptation in society. In addition, hallucinatory images that arise in the imagination of patients are often accompanied by delirium, clouding of consciousness, psychomotor agitation, which can lead to accidents.

Hallucinations are perceptual disorders in which a person sees objects that do not exist in reality (for example, it seems to him that an empty room is full of people, which is actually not the case). Hallucinations must be distinguished from illusions. With illusions, a person sees objects or phenomena that do not exist in reality, but seeming ones (for example, he can take a stain on a shirt for a spider). Often, due to the difficulty of obtaining information (dark time of the day, noise), or an increased expectation of some event (a mushroom picker in the forest sees mushroom caps where they are not), perception errors occur that are not a pathology. In the event of hallucinations and illusions (perhaps hallucinations?), obstacles to obtaining reliable information no. What is important is the fact that the patient cannot cope with them by one effort of will.

It is possible to single out the most common symptoms hallucinations:

feeling of movement of something on the skin, movement of internal organs;
sounds of music, steps, slamming of windows or doors in the absence of such;
voices that no one else hears and that arise even in silence;
light, patterns, creatures or objects that others cannot see;
smells that no one else smells;

In some cases, the occurrence of hallucinations is part of a deep emotional experience and is not regarded as pathological condition(for example, hearing a voice or seeing a loved one who has recently died).

hallucinations in children

Identifying the symptoms of hallucinations in a child is required in order to notice and distinguish them from illusions or emotional disorders caused by serious pathologies.

Hallucinations in preschool children

In view of the generality of conditions predisposing to the development of perceptual delusions, hallucinations are often observed simultaneously with illusions, but the occurrence of the latter in children before school age(3-6 years old) may be due to physiological characteristics, which is associated with a fuzzy distinction between reality and imagination, impressionability, excitability (for example, it seems to the child that toys come to life, the silhouette in the corner of the room is mistaken for a person).

Hallucinations in a school-age child (7-11 years old) may be the initial manifestations of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. The prevalence of mental disorders in children aged 5 to 18 years is 0.4%. Schizophrenia is very rare in preschool and primary school children, but the incidence increases significantly from age 15 and older.

Bipolar disorder is characterized by episodes of mania (abnormally high mood or irritability with cognitive impairment and psychotic symptoms (hallucinatory images, illusions) for 7 days or more) or hypomania (abnormally high mood or irritability for 4 days or more, in fact - more mild form mania). Episodes of mania and hypomania alternate with periods of depressed mood. Data on the prevalence of the disease in children and young adults are limited. The most common age at which the disorder is diagnosed is 15–19 years of age, and is rare in children under 12 years of age. Often a significant period of time elapses between the onset of the disease and the first visit to a psychiatrist. Bipolar disorder can often be regarded as schizophrenia.

Psychosis and represent serious mental disorders or a cluster of disorders that change the perception, thoughts, mood and behavior of a person.

Bipolar disorder, psychosis, and schizophrenia are usually preceded by a prodromal period in which the behavior and experiences of patients change. Not all children and young people who have early symptoms will progress to bipolar disorder, psychosis, or schizophrenia. Long term prospects for young people with psychosis and schizophrenia, it is worse when the first signs of the disease appear in childhood or adolescence. An early visit to a psychiatrist is very important, as steps can be taken to improve the condition and establish long-term prospects.

Hallucinations in a child can occur as a manifestation of psychotic conditions during infections and intoxications, at the height of the temperature reaction, which indicates the severity of the patient's condition.

There are cases when children, thinking about how to cause hallucinations and thereby entertain themselves, resorted to the use of drugs, which often ended in serious dysfunctional disorders in their body.

If a child is diagnosed with epilepsy, then it may also be accompanied by the appearance of visual, auditory or olfactory hallucinations.

hallucinations in adults

Hallucinations in adults are observed both against the background of mental health when exposed to certain triggers (drugs, hypnosis, intoxication), which increase a person’s susceptibility to the appearance of perceptual disorders, and against the background of psychotic disorders that are a manifestation of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or even neurotic disorders (epilepsy). causing visual, auditory, or olfactory hallucinations).

Also various violations perceptions may arise against the background full health as a result of severe fatigue, or when a person is placed in uncharacteristic conditions for him (for example, being placed in a room completely isolated from light and sounds causes the appearance of visual and auditory hallucinations in most subjects).

In men

For the male population aged 18 to 29 years, especially for Russian citizens, alcoholism is more widespread than for women. The development of hallucinations in people who abuse alcohol is associated with the development of alcoholic psychoses, the causes of which are not well understood. Alcoholic psychoses occur in about a third of patients with alcoholism, while there is no direct dependence on the frequency and amount of alcohol consumed. As a general rule, it takes at least 2–3 years from the onset of abuse to develop alcoholic psychosis. Treatment of hallucinations in such situations requires getting rid of addiction.

The number of men and women who use drugs hallucinatory, is not much different.

Also, the appearance of perceptual disturbances in men associated with the manifestation of schizophrenia occurs with the same frequency as in women, but is characterized by an earlier onset with a predominance of malignant variants of the course of the disease.

Among women

The appearance of hallucinations in women in typical cases (taking hallucinogens, schizophrenia, epilepsy, intoxication) has no features compared to men.

However, women are characterized by such a condition as postpartum depression, which occurs 2-4 weeks after childbirth and is characterized by the appearance of fatigue, weakness, insomnia, anxiety, subsequently replaced by high spirits and strange statements (doubt whether this is her child, fear, that other people will take it). An elated mood can be replaced by apathy, a breakdown. If untreated, the condition may worsen, delirium and hallucinations may appear. Behind the mask postpartum psychosis bipolar disorders, schizophrenia, intoxication caused by postpartum infectious complications (sepsis) may be hidden.

hallucinations in the elderly

The occurrence of hallucinations in the elderly is one of the frequent problems faced by psychiatric clinicians. There are many conditions that lead to this symptom. The severity and duration of hallucinations in elderly patients depends on the severity of the underlying disease. Isolated visual hallucinations, developing in old age, usually do not arise due to a previous mental illness (although, of course, their appearance as part of severe depression or long-term schizophrenia is not excluded), but as a result of organic changes (ocular, vascular, atrophic).

Atrophic changes in the brain that occur after 65 years of age can lead to the development of senile delirium, which manifests itself in a number of symptoms. These include: low concentration of attention, decreased critical thinking, visual hallucinations, nightmares, anxiety. At night, these patients appear agitated, fidgety, and there may be disorientation in space. Characterized by the appearance of a tremor, a decrease in the amplitude of movements. In a severe variant of the course of the disease, some elderly people perform their usual actions: they imitate daily or professional activities (sweeping the floor, driving a car, going somewhere), but at the same time it is not possible to establish verbal contact with them, and memory in this state can be either partial or absent altogether. However, we must not forget that not only neurodegenerative processes in the brain can lead to delirium, but also exposure to harmful factors: exposure to alcohol in toxic doses, serious malfunctions of internal organs (oncology), hereditary mental and infectious diseases.

Hallucinations in the elderly have a long, stable character in schizophrenia, as well as psychosis caused by Parkinson's disease or Alzheimer's disease.

The following factors predispose to the occurrence of hallucinations in patients with Parkinsonism: advanced age, female sex, low level of education, late onset of the disease, severe motor and cognitive disorders, depression, autonomic disorders, and a high daily dose of levodopa. The causes of hallucinations that develop in Parkinson's disease have not yet been explained.

In patients with it is important not to miss the symptoms of hallucinations, as, according to recent studies, a relationship has been found between their occurrence and survival. Thus, the appearance of hallucinations in patients with Alzheimer's disease indicates severe course underlying disease. There is a link between the development of hallucinatory images, loneliness and social isolation. Hallucinations can be compensatory mechanism, which aims to fulfill the communication needs of lonely, elderly patients. The occurrence of hallucinatory images can also be seen as a way to escape the boredom, emptiness, and feelings of deprivation caused by social isolation.

Hallucinations in the elderly may occur as a result of taking medications, which older patients often take in varying amounts and combinations for comorbidities. To relieve pain observed in the terminal stages of cancer, opioid analgesics are used, which are drugs that provoke hallucinations.

The occurrence of hallucinations against the background of a significant decrease or total absence hearing and vision without other psychopathological symptoms in patients older than 70 years are characteristic of Charles Bonnet's hallucinosis. There are visual and verbal variants of the flow.

The visual variant of the course of this disease is characterized by development over the age of 80 years. In this case, there is a gradual increase in symptoms. First, separate light spots appear, which, progressing, gradually become more complex, acquiring volume, realism and scene-like character (representing a set of objects, for example, a well-known place in the city, an office at work). Most often, as part of visions, patients see people, most often relatives, animals, natural phenomena. It is very important that patients have criticism of what is happening, however, they do not hold back and are involved in visions, starting to communicate with people who seem to them. The appearance of short-term phenomena of motor activity, coinciding in appearance with an increase in the strength of hallucinations, is characteristic.

For the verbal variant of the course of hallucinosis Bonnet is characterized by relatively early appearance hallucinations - in 70 years. It all starts with the appearance of auditory illusions (instead of real sounds, sounds created by the imagination are perceived). In the future, separate sound sensations appear (the patient hears them regardless of background stimuli), which acquire a more complex character. This leads to the appearance of auditory hallucinations with negative content (threats, accusations).

The intensity of hallucinations in Bonnet's hallucinosis varies greatly and intensifies in silence and darkness. The higher their frequency and strength, the more pronounced anxiety, arousal and a decrease in criticality. Gradually, the intensity and frequency of symptoms decreases, giving way to memory disorders. Bonnet's hallucinosis is not completely cured, but its manifestations become very rare.

Delusions and hallucinations are manifestations of paranoid syndromes, when people become obsessed with the ideas of robbery, persecution, and sometimes poisoning. Participants of these ideas, according to patients, are the people surrounding the patient. After some time, verbal images (voices) join, saying who exactly planned the bad in relation to the patient, suggest motives and ways to implement them. These perceptual disturbances that have arisen in people begin to acquire a schizophrenic character. Subsequently, the ideas of harm become extremely fantastic. Thinking is gradually disturbed, which is accompanied by memory impairment.

Often, older patients are reluctant to talk about disturbing imaginary images, so it is necessary to ask them in detail about what hallucinations bother them.

According to the degree of realism, hallucinations are:

True hallucinations are deceptions of perception, in which the images and phenomena that arise in the imagination of people are real, living in nature and endowed with features of volume, corporality, density. It is difficult for a person to recognize or suspect some kind of trick in them, since they are perceived as if through the natural senses. A patient who begins to see hallucinations does not believe that these "living", "real" objects are not perceived by other people. At the same time, it should be noted that hallucinatory objects do not stand out from the environment and the patient tries to interact with them, as with ordinary objects, tries to pick them up, pick them up, move them away. If these are living beings, then a person talks to them, dodges or catches up.

Most often, true hallucinations occur with psychoses caused by external (intoxication, infection, trauma, mushroom poisoning) and organic (hypoxia) factors. Often they are accompanied by illusions. At the same time, the combination of pareidolic illusions with scene-like true hallucinations is the main manifestation of delirium. In patients with schizophrenia, they are rarely combined. The main reason for their occurrence is the action contributing factors(usually intoxication).

Pseudo-hallucinations

Pseudo-hallucinations were described in the 19th century, when it was noticed that perceptual delusions are more common, when even patients who are confident in the reality of what is happening begin to notice the absence of some features in the objects of their visions that are present in real objects. Pseudohallucinations appear inside the patient's consciousness, therefore, unlike true hallucinations, they appear as images of objects, sounds, and phenomena. Objects are devoid of mass and volume, it seems that the patient sees them with an “inner eye”, sounds do not have such characteristics as height, timbre. It seems that they are broadcast to the patient from another dimension. Patients feel the unusualness of this situation and believe that these images are placed in their heads with the help of special devices (radar, radio transmitters, supercomputers) or influences (magnetic waves, telepathy, magic). As a rule, in patients with pseudohallucinations it is not always possible to determine whose voice they hear - male or female, child or adult. These features are reflected in the behavior of the patient, as the person understands that the source of his visions is not near him. He does not try to escape or figure out the pursuers, although he often tries to limit the impact on himself with the help of shielding (putting a helmet on his head, pasting the room with foil). It is important that patients are sure that only they are able to see or hear these images or voices, since they are not available to others.

Pseudohallucinations most often occur in chronic psychoses and are resistant to therapy. Unlike true hallucinations, which intensify in the evening, they do not depend on the time of day. And, although patients understand that the objects of their visions are devoid of any material or life features, there is no criticism of their condition and they perceive it as completely normal phenomenon. Pseudohallucinations are characteristic of paranoid schizophrenia and occur against a background of clear consciousness, they are also part of the Kandinsky-Clerambault mental automatism syndrome and are very rare in organic diseases.

Types of hallucinations according to the way they are perceived

According to the methods of perception, the following types of hallucinations are distinguished according to their connection with sensitive analyzers:

visual hallucinations

With true hallucinations, a person sees objects that are indistinguishable from the usual environment and their fakeness is revealed only when trying to interact with them (touch, pick up). With pseudohallucinations, the patient sees not objects, but their incorporeal copies (not a cat, but his shadow, not a tram, but his silhouette). They differ from illusions in that they appear from scratch and are not a distorted perception of another object.

auditory hallucinations

Auditory hallucinations include ordinary sounds and voices (in the latter case they are called verbal - from Latin verbalis "verbal"). With true hallucinations, it seems to a person that his name is being called, squeaks, steps in an empty apartment seem to be. In pseudo-hallucinations, he has the feeling that sounds or voices are being broadcast directly to his brain (as if a radio was turned on in his head). They differ from illusions in that they occur together with other sounds, and not against their background.

Auditory hallucinations are often associated with perceptual delusions characteristic of other senses. In addition, according to the latest scientific melons, auditory hallucinations are more often observed in people with low education.

Olfactory hallucinations

Olfactory hallucinations are manifested in the form of a perverse perception of smells in the absence of an organic lesion of the olfactory receptors or their pathways. For example, it seems to a person that something smells in his apartment, although the people around him do not feel anything.

Taste hallucinations occur in the absence of organic damage to the taste buds and often accompany the delirium of poisoning, when a person thinks that they want to poison him.

Visceral hallucinations

With visceral hallucinations, patients complain that something is inside them, while clearly describing the object inside (its shape, size, sometimes even what kind of object is described). For example, the patient may say that there is a cat or a bottle in it. Visceral delusions of perception should be distinguished from senestopathies, in which the patient complains of vague, painful feelings that arise inside the body, while he cannot give them any specific characteristics. It is important to note that both with visceral disorders of perception and with senestopathies, no organic abnormalities are detected in the human body, and therefore patients sin on the illiteracy of the doctors examining them.

Differentiation of perceptual disturbances according to the sense organs most often does not have a decisive diagnostic value, although, as a rule, visual hallucinations appear and quickly disappear in acute psychoses, while auditory hallucinations occur in long-term, chronic conditions (for example, in schizophrenia). Taste, tactile, visceral and olfactory hallucinations are much less common.

According to the complexity of the images, simple and complex types of hallucinations are distinguished. For simple ones, the occurrence of perceptual deceptions with the help of one analyzer is characteristic. An example is isolated verbal images that bring significant discomfort to patients. In complex disorders, the images are associated with different groups of analyzers.

It is important to be able to distinguish what kind of hallucinations people have, not only because these perceptual disturbances in themselves pose a danger to life, but because in some cases they lead to dangerous consequences for a person and others. According to the mechanism of occurrence, the following violations are distinguished:

imperative

Imperative disorders command, indicate how to behave. Patients hear orders, obeying which they get into dangerous situations. As a rule, imperative disorders are combined with aggressive behavior. They put both the patients and their environment at risk, unlike other types of hallucinations.

associated

Associated disorders are represented by the alternation of images, when they successively replace each other (for example, verbal hallucinations lead to the appearance of visual hallucinations associated with them).

reflex

For the development of reflex disturbances of perception, the impact of a real stimulus on a certain analyzer is necessary, however, sensitive images take on a different character that is not characteristic of it. What distinguishes them from illusions is the simultaneous perception of both the stimulus and the hallucinations.

extracampal

Extracampal perceptual disturbances are one of the variants of visual hallucinations, when images are perceived by the patient without falling into the field of his perception (the patient sees an object that he cannot see, that is, to the side or behind him).

Delusions and hallucinations

Delusions and hallucinations are characteristic manifestations paranoid syndrome that occurs with schizophrenia or psychosis of various etiologies.

With the development of psychosis, there is a violation mental activity when mental reactions do not correspond to the environment, which leads to behavioral disorders and an inadequate assessment of the environment. Symptoms of psychosis are divided into "positive" (some kind of mental disorder is added, for example, the patient begins to see hallucinations) and "negative" (behavioral changes are observed, such as apathy, poverty of speech, social exclusion).

Sometimes delusions and hallucinations can occur as a side effect of medications. In such cases, you should consult with your doctor and either change the treatment regimen or change the dosage of the drug.

organic pathology

Often hallucinatory images arise as a result of an organic lesion of the parts of the brain responsible for processing perceived information. As a result of stimulation of the higher (cortical) parts of the analyzer, patients can see hallucinations in the form of flashes or simple objects, hear sounds (music, voices), smell smells, taste sweet, salty, bitter in the mouth. It is important to note that there is no pathology of peripheral receptors (eyes, ears, nose, tongue).

Most common causes hallucinations in organic lesions:

atherosclerotic changes in the main vessels, leading to hypoxia of the blood-supplying departments;
orthostatic hypotension, leading to a short-term disruption of the blood supply to the brain;
hemorrhagic stroke (usually accompanied by signs of increased intracranial pressure);
oncological diseases (tumors and their metastases);
dementia;

Sleep-related hallucinations can occur in both healthy sleepy and narcoleptic individuals. Narcolepsy is a disease in which there are influxes of drowsiness and uncontrolled falling asleep, attacks of a decrease in the tone of skeletal muscles while maintaining consciousness. This disease is also characterized by disturbances in nocturnal sleep and the appearance of such types of hallucinations as hypnagogic and hypnopompic.

Hypnagogic hallucinations

Hypnagogic hallucinations occur when falling asleep. It is difficult for a person to fall asleep, as bright images flash before his eyes, distracting him. Hypnagogic hallucinations can occur in healthy people with severe overwork.

Hypnopompic hallucinations

Hypnopompic hallucinations occur at the moment of awakening, after which patients have images that prevent them from adequately assessing the environment. Hypnopompic and hypnagogic hallucinations that occur against the background of a serious illness or alcohol abuse indicate the development of delirium.

Illness and hallucinations

The disease and hallucinations can appear simultaneously in the human body as a feature characteristic of this nosology, or as a nonspecific complication. Therefore, it is necessary to distinguish when the disease and hallucinations are associated initially, and when perceptual disorders arise as a result of severe general condition. In the second case, the treatment of hallucinations should begin with getting rid of the underlying disease. They occur with the following nosologies:

Delirium;
Migraine;
Huntington's disease;
Schizophrenia;
epilepsy;
Parkinson's disease (with a long course);
Alzheimer's disease (in severe cases);

Other causes of hallucinations

consumption of more than 750 mg of caffeine in a short period of time can cause delirium, tinnitus and visual hallucinations;
alcohol abuse;
drugs that cause hallucinations (marijuana, LSD, etc.);
fever, especially in children and the elderly;
serious pathologies that indirectly affect the functioning of the brain ( liver failure, renal failure, end-stage HIV);
mushroom poisoning;
traumatic brain injury;
stroke;
dehydration;

In the tactics of treatment, in most cases, it does not matter which hallucinations disturb the patient, since they are only symptoms of various diseases, however, they can be used to judge the severity of the ongoing processes in the human body. It is important that the treatment of diseases that cause mental disorders should not be carried out by people who do not have medical education because it can only exacerbate the situation.

Treatment of hallucinations in children

Since hallucinations in a child occur most often due to bipolar disorders (manifested in the form of mania or hypomania), epilepsy and schizophrenia, treatment of the underlying disease usually relieves this symptom.

Treatment of bipolar disorder in children and young adults includes pharmacological and psychological interventions. Medicines are selected and prescribed exclusively by a doctor, since children are more susceptible to their action and side effects, which requires a highly individual approach.

In the treatment of psychosis and schizophrenia in children, it is customary to use antipsychotics.

The impact of individual psychotherapy should not be underestimated when administered in conjunction with medication in children or young adults with bipolar disorder, psychosis, or schizophrenia.

In the event that the cause of hallucinations is a serious condition of the child (for example, high fever), getting rid of the underlying disease in most cases leads to their disappearance.

Treating hallucinations in adults

Treatment of hallucinations caused by triggers (drugs, hypnosis, intoxication) usually consists of getting rid of their effects. The exception is the withdrawal syndrome (a set of symptoms that occur when you stop taking psychoactive substances), which requires treatment in specialized hospitals.

If the causes of hallucinations are psychotic disorders that are a manifestation of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or even neurotic disorders (epilepsy with aura in the form of visual or olfactory hallucinations), then treatment of the underlying disease is necessary, upon reaching remission of which, hallucinations cease to disturb the patient.

If hallucinations occur in people against the background of a full as a result of severe fatigue (usually hypnagogic hallucinations), rest is recommended.

Treatment of postpartum psychosis should begin at its first manifestations and take place under the supervision of a physician.

In the treatment of psychotic disorders accompanied by hallucinations in the elderly, atypical antipsychotics are used, which have fewer side effects than typical ones.

In the treatment of senile delirium, the main thing is to eliminate the cause (fight against infection, organic lesions). If delirium is caused by dementia, only relief is made acute period and supportive care, as there are currently no other alternatives.

The main drugs used to treat schizophrenia at present are neuroleptics. It is worth noting that wide range drugs can influence almost any manifestation of this disease. However, long-term use of these drugs can lead to the development of unwanted side effects, which is currently being overcome by obtaining new drugs, prioritizing monotherapy (that is, using the smallest possible list of drugs).

Very often, after stopping the acute period of the disease, the patient experiences euphoria, as a result of which he stops taking drugs, or independently reduces the dose of drugs. This situation must be taken into account, since even a short-term discontinuation of drugs greatly increases the risk of relapse. It is also important to limit the activity of patients with schizophrenia, since stress can lead to an exacerbation of the disease.

In the event of adverse events from the nervous system, anticholinergic antiparkinsonian drugs are prescribed. To reduce other unwanted symptoms, antidepressants are prescribed (with a decrease in mood), tranquilizers (with anxiety), psychostimulants (with weakness), but in no case should we forget that stimulants can lead to exacerbations of schizophrenia, so their appointment can only be justified in combination with powerful neuroleptics.

Hallucinations in Alzheimer's disease are treated with atypical antipsychotics because of their milder side effects. It is worth starting treatment with a small dose, slowly increasing it, which increases their safety for the patient.

The treatment of hallucinations in Parkinson's disease requires a multifaceted approach and should be carried out under the supervision of a physician, since the likelihood of the underlying disease worsening with the intervention of incompetent persons increases significantly (maybe the probability increases?). Abroad long time Numerous studies are being conducted, but so far the issue of treating hallucinations in patients with Parkinson's disease has not been closed.

How to induce hallucinations

Drugs and hallucinations

Drugs and hallucinations are, unfortunately, closely related concepts. Young people are thinking about how to induce hallucinations by resorting to drugs. They get vivid visions, euphoria, in return for permanent damage to internal organs. Dependence develops rapidly, 60.5% of intravenous drug addicts have concomitant diseases, such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV infection, syphilis. Many believe that the use of soft drugs, such as marijuana, is harmless, but there are cases when the use of marijuana led to the manifestation of schizophrenia.

In some cases, the patient does not want to tell what hallucinations he sees. Therefore, in order to diagnose its real state, a number of techniques can be carried out that will help to identify susceptibility to the appearance of perceptual deceptions. As a rule, they are usually used in the initial period of the development of alcoholic delirium or in the diagnosis of hypnagogic hallucinations in patients in a hospital.

Lipmann's symptom - you should lightly press on the eyes through closed eyelids and ask what the patient sees;
Aschaffenburg's symptom - the patient is given a non-working phone and offered to communicate with an imaginary interlocutor;
Reichardt's symptom - the patient is given a blank sheet and asked to read what he sees there.

Hypnotic hallucinations

During hypnosis sessions, a person may see hallucinations resulting from the activation of his imagination. As a rule, their content during hypnosis is associated with the re-experiencing of past events.

Hallucinations occur due to errors or malfunctions in the work of certain sense organs. They are characterized by the perception of non-existent objects, imaginary perception, as well as its errors. This means that a person can see, feel or hear something that is not really there.

It is known that there is not much knowledge about the functioning of the brain in mankind. Hallucinations belong to the field of unknown phenomena, among which there are still many unusual and mysterious. The brain shows us something that does not really exist, makes us hear voices that do not exist. Because of this, hallucinations have been known since ancient times. Of course, all this was perceived somewhat differently: among many peoples, priests and shamans deliberately used various mushrooms and plants to fall into a trance and, for example, communicate with deceased relatives of fellow tribesmen or revered deities. The attitude towards such hallucinogenic drugs was appropriate: ornaments and statues of mushrooms are often found in many temples, which indicates a widespread opinion among the ancients about their divine origin. The Maya Indians used such drugs for both religious and medical purposes as an anesthetic.

History also knows the use of hallucinations in art, culture and science. A large number of world-famous talented people caused them in one way or another (alcohol, schizophrenia, periodic psychoses and opium use). Oddly enough, it was very effective: the masterpieces of Edgar Poe, Gogol, Yesenin, Vincent van Gogh, Vrubel, Chopin, as well as the development of Nobel Prize winner John Forbes Nash speak for themselves. Truly incredible can be the result of the creativity of geniuses who have been exposed to a psychopathic process, as a result of which the world of perceptions, real and spiritual, are intertwined. The only sad thing is that this is accompanied by gradual degradation and, as a result, complete devastation.

There are several types of hallucinations associated with different sense organs: visual, muscular, gustatory, visceral and olfactory.

Causes of hallucinations

Hallucinations associated with the organs of vision are characterized by the patient's vision of various images or scenes that do not exist in reality, in which he can take part.

May appear as a result of alcohol poisoning (one of the symptoms of delirium tremens), with the use of drugs or psychostimulants (for example, LSD, hashish, opium, cocaine and a number of others), M-anticholinergic drugs (scopalamine, phenothiazines, orphenadrine, antidepressants, toxins of some plants and fungi), as well as certain organic structures of tin. Visual, along with auditory hallucinations, are inherent in some diseases. These include, for example, peduncular hallucinosis.

"Voice from above", orders and praise from unseen friends, hails - all these refer to auditory hallucinations that often come along with schizophrenia, alcoholic hallucinosis, poisoning and simple partial seizures.

The sensation of non-existent odors is characteristic of olfactory hallucinations that occur in schizophrenia, which often makes patients feel unpleasant odors - rot, rancidity, and so on. They can also cause damage to the brain, namely its temporal lobe. Herpetic encephalitis, as well as partial seizures, can also add to olfactory hallucinations and taste hallucinations, during which patients feel a pleasant or disgusting taste in the mouth. Naturally, the taste stimulus is unrealistic.

Hallucinations of a tactile nature are manifested in the sensation of objects that do not really exist. The cause is alcohol withdrawal syndrome. It is also accompanied by auditory and visual visions.

During bodily hallucinations, the patient feels various unpleasant sensations, for example, passing through the body electric current. It can also be touching the body, grasping the limbs, feeling bubbles bursting in the intestines. They are observed in diseases such as schizophrenia and encephalitis.

In addition to differentiation according to the source of occurrence, hallucinations are divided into true and false. With true hallucinations, a person is an observer from the outside, the images that he sees exist in an accurate projection of the existing reality. A feature of false hallucinations is that they do not go beyond the head of the patient and are projected exclusively in it. This means that the sense organs are not involved in such hallucinations.

Hallucinations can be either simple or complex. With simple hallucinations, the work of only one of the sense organs is disturbed, while with complex hallucinations at least two are captured. This means that if a little devil comes to visit you one day, you will not only see his visual image, but you will also feel the chill that binds your muscles and you will be able to chat with him heart to heart. Complex hallucinations can occur only with a certain level of self-suggestion, mental state and human complexes. Personality traits also matter.

Diseases that cause hallucinations

The cause of hallucinations can be many diseases, such as the already mentioned schizophrenia. It is also epilepsy, alcoholic psychosis, syphilis or brain tumors, drug poisoning, hypothermia, and so on.

With hallucinatory-paranoid syndrome, a person perceives as reality things that seem to him during hallucinations. The nature of the visions is usually delusional and bleak - murders, cruelty, threats and violence. Causes of development: syphilis of the brain, schizophrenia, alcoholic psychosis.

Persistent and well-defined hallucinations occur with hallucinosis, which most often accompanies syphilis and alcoholism.

Hallucinations - red elephants.

True hallucinations of a visual nature, delirium and motor anxiety appear with one of the alcoholic psychoses - alcoholic delirium. It is the result of a hangover or refusal to drink alcohol. It all starts with relatively harmless illusions and gradually develops into visiting the patient with devils, various insects and animals, as well as imaginary people. As a rule, the matter does not end here with visual hallucinations, and auditory, tactile and olfactory ones are added to them. As a result, the movements of the patient and the uttered delirium are completely subordinated to the visions.

The characteristic features of alcoholic hallucinosis are auditory hallucinations, insomnia, sudden anxiety and uncontrollable fear. The patient feels the threat from the altered delusional perception real world. Usually the voices swear and argue with each other, as a result of which the feeling of fear gradually increases and makes the patient flee. Most often, hallucinosis leads to prolonged drinking. AT various forms can last from two days to six months.

In chronic tactile hallucinosis, the patient constantly feels goosebumps crawling over the surface of the body, as well as worms in case of organic brain damage or in psychoses associated with aging of the body.

Sometimes, tetraethyl lead poisoning from leaded gasoline can cause a psychotic state. It is usually accompanied by hallucinatory experiences and disorders of consciousness.

Syphilis of the brain is accompanied by hallucinations, manifested in the form of sounds, shouts, unpleasant visual images.

Hallucinations caused by prolonged use narcotic substances, are a mixture of frightening unrealistic visions, auditory deceptions, paranoia and jealousy.

Cardio decompensation vascular diseases changes the mood of the patient, causes a feeling of fear, unreasonable anxiety, as well as insomnia and hallucinations. Back to normal physical condition and the process of blood circulation, all the above symptoms disappear.

In diseases of a rheumatic nature, the patient suffers from intolerance, irritability, sleep disturbances, and sometimes influxes of hallucinations.

Malignant tumors can also cause auditory and visual hallucinations. Their development is influenced by the degree of toxicity of the disease, the level of exhaustion of the patient and the state of his brain, as well as the use of narcotic substances in the treatment.

Many infectious diseases have various types of hallucinations in their list of symptoms. For example, typhoid and typhus, malaria and others. Before the temperature drops, delirium and illusory perception of the environment can be observed.

Finally, it is worth mentioning amentia - the most severe form of impaired consciousness. Her characteristics- impaired synthesis of perceptions, thinking, speech, inability to navigate in space, severe hallucinations. It is often the result of endogenous psychoses caused in turn by trauma, infection, or poisoning. The patient may end lethal outcome, while survivors of amentia almost always suffer from memory loss.

Hallucinogenic mushrooms

The list of mushrooms that can cause hallucinations includes more than twenty various kinds growing in various parts of nature. Due to the neurotoxic poison they contain, the consumption of such mushrooms is accompanied by a variety of effects: from hallucinations to neurosis and death. Almost always drug use causes addiction.

Drugs that cause hallucinations

Some drugs can cause hallucinations when used. These include narcotic analgesics, sulfonamides, some antidepressants, anti-tuberculosis and anti-inflammatory drugs, as well as psychostimulants and tranquilizers.

Examination of a patient with hallucinations

When examining patients suffering from hallucinations, it should be borne in mind that some of them are aware of the unreality of their visions, and some firmly believe in them. Scenes that correspond to reality are more believable. For example, communication with relatives. At the same time, some patients feel something like a signal that reports the appearance of a vision in the near future. Contacts with the patient can determine his condition by strange behavior - movements, gestures, conversations with invisible interlocutors or with himself. If a person is inadequate and cannot independently assess his own condition, you should take care of his delivery as soon as possible. medical institution for a proper examination.

The main thing in the pre-medical stage is to ensure the safety of both the patient and the people around him, in order to prevent possible injuries.

Which doctor should I contact if hallucinations occur

If hallucinations occur, it is worth making an appointment, first of all, with a neurologist and a psychiatrist. Then visit a narcologist and an oncologist.

Treatment of hallucinations

Based on the disease, one of the symptoms of which are hallucinations, the patient is treated individually. Hospitalization is required only during exacerbations. Severe hallucinations are treated with antipsychotics, tranquilizers, or sedatives. Detoxification therapy is also carried out.

Consultation with a doctor about hallucinations

Question: if a person is completely healthy, can hallucinations visit him?

Answer: Healthy people are characterized by illusions in which the perception of objects that actually exist is distorted. For example, the sound of pouring water can be taken by us for a conversation, any silhouette in the dark - for a person, and so on. Illusions can be provoked by poisoning, an infection that has entered the body, or its exhaustion.

Hallucinations - description and essence of the symptom, causes, types (auditory, visual, olfactory, gustatory, etc.), treatment. What is the difference between true hallucinations and illusions and pseudo hallucinations? How to induce hallucinations?

Brief description and essence of the symptom

Understanding the essence and scientific definition of hallucinations was made during the study of this problem within the framework of the general development of psychiatry. Thus, the translation of the Latin word "allucinacio" means "unfulfilled dreams", "idle chatter" or "nonsense", which is quite far from the modern meaning of the term "hallucinations". And the term "hallucinations" acquired its modern meaning only in the 17th century in the work of the Swiss physician Plater. But the final formulation of the concept of "hallucination", which is still relevant today, was given only in the 19th century by Jean Esquirol.

A hallucination is a “vision” of a non-existent object on an object that actually exists in the surrounding space.
Pseudo-hallucination is the "seeing" of a non-existent object inside one's own body.
An illusion is a “vision” of real-life objects distorted, with characteristics that do not actually exist in them (a coat is perceived as a lurking person, a chair is seen as a gallows, etc.).

The line between all these psychiatric terms is quite thin, but very significant from the point of view of the mechanisms of their development and the degree of mental disorders, to which each variant of the disturbance in the perception of the surrounding world corresponds.

What are hallucinations?

Currently, there are several classifications of hallucinations, which subdivide them into types depending on the various characteristics of the symptom. Let us consider the classifications that are most important for understanding the characteristics of hallucinations.

1. Associated hallucinations. They are characterized by the appearance of images with a certain logical sequence, for example, a stain on a chair predicts the appearance of flies from a water tap if a person tries to turn on the water.

2. Imperative hallucinations. They are characterized by the appearance of an orderly tone emanating from any surrounding objects. Usually such an orderly tone commands a person to perform some action.

3. Reflex hallucinations. They are characterized by the appearance of hallucinations in another analyzer in response to the impact of a real stimulus on any analyzer (auditory, visual, etc.). For example, turning on the light (an irritant for the visual analyzer) causes an auditory hallucination in the form of voices, orders, noise of the installation for guidance laser beams etc.

4. Extracampal hallucinations. They are characterized by going beyond the field of this analyzer. For example, a person sees visual images that are hallucinations behind a wall, etc.

Auditory hallucinations (for example, a person hears voices, speech, or just individual sounds). Sounds can be loud or quiet, episodic or constant, slurred or clear, belong to familiar or unfamiliar people or objects, in nature - narrative, accusatory, imperative, in form - monologues, dialogues in different languages, and in localization - in front, behind, above, below the person.

Visual hallucinations (a person sees something simple, such as spots, zigzags, flashes of light, or complex images, such as people, unknown non-existent creatures, as well as entire scenes and panoramas unfolding before his eyes, like in a movie). Visual hallucinations can be black and white, multicolored, single color, transparent or colorless, moving or frozen, kaleidoscopic, panoramic or portrait, large, small or normal, threatening, accusatory or neutral.

Taste hallucinations (a person feels a non-existent taste, for example, sweetness from chewing rubber, etc.).

Olfactory hallucinations (a person feels smells that do not exist in reality, for example, rotten meat, beautiful perfumes of a woman, etc.).

Tactile (tactile) hallucinations (sensation of any touch to the skin, heat, cold, etc.). These hallucinations can be localized on the surface of the skin or under it, a person can feel objects, insects, animals, ropes, heat, cold, touch, moisture or grasping.

Visceral hallucinations (a person feels certain objects inside his body, for example, some kind of implanted chip, worms, some kind of tool, etc.). With these hallucinations, a person can see his own internal organs in a normal or altered form, feel their movement inside the body, feel manipulations with the genitals (masturbation, rape, etc.), and also feel animate and inanimate objects inside the body.

Proprioceptive hallucinations (feeling of movement that does not exist in reality in the legs, arms and any other parts of the body).

Vestibular hallucinations (feeling of a position of the body in space that does not correspond to reality, for example, a feeling of flight, constant rotation around its axis, etc.).

Complex hallucinations (sensations concerning several analyzers at the same time, for example, a feeling of sweet taste from a spot sitting on a chair, etc.).

In addition, hallucinations are divided into the following types depending on their complexity:

The simplest hallucinations. They are characterized by the incompleteness of an erroneously perceived image. For example, visual simplest hallucinations include seeing spots, sparks, circles, rays, etc.; to auditory - unclear rustles, creaking, the sound of steps, inarticulate sounds, syllables, shouts, pronouns, etc.
Object hallucinations. They are characterized by the completeness of an erroneously perceived image that affects only one analyzer. For example, visual object hallucinations are animals, people, body parts, any objects, etc.; auditory are words, commands, sentences, or even monologues or texts.
Complex hallucinations. They are characterized by the fact that several analyzers are involved in their formation, as a result of which a person sees entire scenes or panoramas, like in a movie. For example, a person can see mythical aliens and hear their speech, etc.

True hallucinations - video

Pseudo-hallucinations - video

Hallucinations - Causes

The causes of hallucinations can be the following conditions and diseases:

Schizophrenia;
Epilepsy;
Psychosis;
Hallucinosis (alcoholic, prison, etc.);
Hallucinatory-delusional syndromes (paranoid, paraphrenic, paranoid, Kandinsky-Clerambault).

2. Somatic diseases:

Tumors and brain injuries;
Infectious diseases affecting the brain (meningitis, encephalitis, temporal arteritis, etc.);
Diseases that occur with severe fever (for example, typhus and typhoid fever, malaria, pneumonia, etc.);
Stroke;
Syphilis of the brain;
Cerebral atherosclerosis (atherosclerosis of cerebral vessels);
Cardiovascular diseases in the stage of decompensation (decompensated heart failure, decompensated heart defects, etc.);
Rheumatic diseases of the heart and joints;
Tumors localized in the brain;
Metastases of tumors in the brain;
Poisoning by various substances (for example, tetraethyl lead - a component of leaded gasoline).

3. The use of substances that affect the central nervous system:

Alcohol (hallucinations are especially pronounced in alcoholic psychosis, called "delirious tremens");
Drugs (all opium derivatives, mescaline, crack, LSD, PCP, psilobicine, cocaine, methamphetamine);
Medications (Atropine, drugs for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, anticonvulsants, antibiotics and antiviral drugs, sulfonamides, anti-tuberculosis drugs, antidepressants, histamine blockers, antihypertensives, psychostimulants, tranquilizers);
Plants containing toxic substances acting on the central nervous system (belladonna, dope, pale grebe, fly agaric, etc.).

Hallucinations: causes, types and nature of the symptom, description of cases of hallucinations, connection with schizophrenia, psychosis, delirium and depression, similarity with a dream - video

Treatment

The treatment of hallucinations is based on the elimination causative factor that caused their appearance. In addition, in addition to therapy aimed at eliminating the causative factor, drug relief of hallucinations with psychotropic drugs is carried out. Antipsychotics are most effective for stopping hallucinations (for example, Olanzapine, Amisulpride, Risperidone, Quetiapine, Mazheptil, Trisedil, Haloperidol, Triftazin, Aminazin, etc.). The choice of a specific drug for the relief of hallucinations is carried out by the doctor in each case individually, based on the characteristics of the patient, the combination of hallucinations with other symptoms mental disorder, previously used therapy, etc.

How to induce hallucinations?

To cause hallucinations, it is enough to eat hallucinogenic mushrooms (pale toadstool, fly agaric) or plants (belladonna, dope). You can also take drugs, alcohol in large quantities or drugs that have a hallucinogenic effect in large doses. All this will cause hallucinations. But simultaneously with the appearance of hallucinations, the body will be poisoned, which may require urgent medical care up to resuscitation. In severe poisoning, death is also likely.

Semantic hallucinations

Semantic hallucinations is the name of a popular musical group. There is no such thing in medical terminology.

Leave feedback

You can add your comments and feedback to this article, subject to the Discussion Rules.

pills for hallucinations

The appearance of hallucinations is a cause for concern not only for the person suffering from them, but also for his relatives. In some cases, they are considered a sign of severe mental disorders. In no case should this situation be ignored, you should consult a doctor who, with the help of medical correction, will improve the patient's condition. Our article will tell you how to get rid of hallucinations with the help of medications.

The occurrence of hallucinations requires immediate medical attention. Most often, the responsibility for treatment falls on the shoulders of the patient's relatives, since usually the latter do not understand the seriousness of the situation and are in no hurry to see a specialist. Before treating hallucinations, it is necessary to consult a doctor who, before prescribing treatment, establishes the cause that caused this problem and in accordance with it establishes adequate therapy.

If a given state caused by drugs, then you should not only stop taking them, but also rid the body of intoxication. When auditory hallucinations occur simultaneously with visual hallucinations, it is necessary for the patient to be hospitalized in a hospital. Today there are different medical preparations to help cure various types of hallucinations.

Important! Before prescribing treatment if mental illness, dementia, the doctor must be warned, because some types of pills can worsen the course of the disease.

Antipsychotics

Therapy of hallucinations is most often carried out with the help of medications belonging to the group of neuroleptics, which quite successfully cope with this problem. Antipsychotics are psychotropic drugs designed to treat neurological and psychological problems. However, these drugs have many side effects, although today there are modern generation antipsychotics that are safer than the previous one.

New generation drugs help not only cure hallucinations, but also relieve muscle tension, have a mild hypnotic effect, and clarify the thought process. The most popular remedies that help treat hallucinatory-delusional syndrome today include:

Abilify. Assign simultaneously with antidepressants for dementia, schizophrenia, depression. However, it must be remembered that this tool can cause increased anxiety. Usually, in schizophrenia, the drug is prescribed from 10 to 15 mg per day, for the treatment of bipolar disorders, the recommended dose varies from 15 to 30 mg per day. The usual treatment course is from 1 to 3 months.

A contraindication to the use is considered to be children under 16 years of age and individual intolerance to the drug. Patients also having cardiovascular diseases should be subjected to special control. Adverse reactions include dizziness, drowsiness, pneumonia, decreased appetite.

Quetiapine. It is used according to the following scheme: on the first day 50 mg is used, on the 2nd day - 100 mg each, on the 3rd day - 200 mg each, on the 4th day - 300 mg each. Then the dosage varies mg per day. Elderly patients at the beginning use 25 mg per day, then the dose is increased by 25 mg daily. The same dosage is prescribed for patients with renal or hepatic insufficiency.

These pills for hallucinations are contraindicated in case of intolerance to them, in children under 18 years of age, during breastfeeding. In patients with a history of convulsive phenomena, cardiovascular diseases, the use should be carried out under the supervision of a physician. Treatment course appointed individually, based on the severity of the disease. The most common side effects are: insomnia, nausea, tachycardia, dizziness, delirium.

Etaperazine. It is not indicated for endocarditis, brain disease, in violation of the central nervous system, during pregnancy, lactation, children under 12 years of age. This medicine it is used starting from 10 mg daily, if the patient has previously taken treatment with this drug, then 40 mg daily may be prescribed.

Further, the daily dosage increases to 80 mg and is taken as a 4-month course. Etaperazine has many side effects, among which the most common are dizziness, muscle weakness, anxiety, increased blood pressure, nausea, tachycardia, frequent urination, fever, urticaria.

tranquilizers

Often, the treatment of hallucinations requires the addition of tranquilizers that have a calming effect. Tranquilizers stop panic, anxiety, stress, depression, help eliminate hallucinations. These medications can help alleviate internal stress without affecting cognitive processes. Tranquilizers for hallucinations are prescribed if the pathology is caused by increased anxiety. The most prescribed drugs include:

Gidazepam. Refers to "daytime" drugs that do not cause drowsiness. The usual dosage is 0.02 to 0.05 g three times a day. The duration of the course varies from the condition of the patient and is within 4 months. This drug is contraindicated in the pathology of the kidneys and liver, muscle weakness, employment at work that requires a speed of reaction. The most common side effects are dizziness, itching, decreased sex drive, nausea.

Grandaxin. It is used for increased tension, fear, vegetative disorder, decreased activity. Usually prescribed for 5 mg. The average dosage of adults is 0.01 g three times with the usual therapeutic course of no more than 2 months.

If there is a need, then the subsequent repetition of the use of the drug is possible after 1 month. The most common side effects include various digestive disorders, itching. Contraindications for the use of Grandaxin is the 1st trimester of pregnancy, psychopathological disorders. If there is a need, then it is possible to prescribe for children from 1 year old, while the doctor should select the dose based on the weight of the baby.

Seduxen. Calms the central nervous system, relaxes muscle tone, relieves emotional stress, anxiety, irritability, hallucinations against the background of fear. This drug is prescribed with 0.0025 mg twice, with gradual increase which it is possible to bring it up to 5 mg per day. With increased fears, accompanied by auditory hallucinations, it is allowed to increase the drug to 20 mg daily.

The daily dosage is divided into 3 doses. If there is a stably disturbed sleep, then the medicine is given at night. It is possible to use from 1 year, while the dose is selected exclusively by the attending physician. Side effects include nausea, dizziness, tremor. Contraindicated for use during pregnancy, in the presence of renal failure and cardiovascular diseases.

Antidepressants

Drugs active in relation to depression, helping with mental disorders associated with a weakening of motor activity, autonomic disorders, decreased mood, loss of reality, are called antidepressants. The most commonly prescribed antidepressants for hallucinations include:

Amitriptyline. Contraindicated in intoxication of the body, pregnancy, while breastfeeding, glaucoma, cardiovascular disease, depressive psychosis, alcoholism, asthma, stroke.

This remedy has the following side effects: tachycardia, tremor, increased blood pressure, arrhythmia, diarrhea, nausea, decreased libido, headache, insomnia. Amitriptyline at the beginning of the reception is prescribed 25 mg at night, then over 5 days the dosage is gradually increased to 200 mg three times. If necessary, the daily dose can be increased to 300 mg.

Paroxetine. It belongs to the drugs of a new generation, it quickly relieves anxiety, depression, and is well tolerated by patients. Contraindicated during pregnancy, lactation, in children under 14 years of age, with epilepsy, heart disease, glaucoma, epilepsy. The instruction states that Paroxetine is taken once with meals. If the patient has depression, then appoint 20 mg for 2-3 weeks.

Having studied the methods of Olga Markovich in the treatment of strokes, as well as restoring speech functions, memory and relieving constant headaches and tingling in the heart, we decided to bring it to your attention.

If necessary, the dosage may be increased, but it should not exceed 50 mg. During the use of the drug, the following may occur side effects: increased sweating, diarrhea, nausea, loss of appetite, impaired sexual desire, frequent urination, muscle weakness, dizziness, insomnia, tachycardia.

Tianeptine. Able to improve mood, increase overall muscle tone, relieve depression, increased anxiety, frequent mood changes. Contraindicated in hypersensitivity to the remedy, pregnancy, children under 15 years of age, in the 1st trimester of pregnancy, during breastfeeding.

Cases of the following side effects are known: dizziness, drowsiness during the day, arrhythmia, chest pain, shortness of breath, feeling hot, "lump" in the throat, nausea, bloating, hot flashes. Usually prescribed 12.5 mg three times. If patients also have renal insufficiency, then the dosage is reduced to 12.5 mg twice.

Important! It is impossible to independently use medicines aimed at the treatment of hallucinations, since the human psyche is a rather delicate system, incorrectly chosen medicines can unbalance it for a long time.

The occurrence of a hallucination should imply treatment only under the constant supervision of a specialist. With proper monitoring of the patient and systematic treatment, you can get rid of this unpleasant symptomatology for a long time.

To restore the body after a stroke, our readers use a new technique discovered by Elena Malysheva based on medicinal herbs and natural ingredients- Collection of Father George. Collection of Father George helps to improve the swallowing reflex, restores the affected cells in the brain, speech and memory. It also helps prevent recurrent strokes.

Do you think that it is impossible to restore body functions after a stroke? Judging by the fact that you are now reading these lines, victory in the fight against the consequences of the disease is not on your side. It should be noted that the sooner rehabilitation begins, the greater the chance of a full recovery. And the probability of returning to active life increases many times if you recover under the supervision of specialists of the rehabilitation center.

Read better what Elena Malysheva says about this. Read better what Elena Malysheva says about this. For several years I suffered from the consequences of a STROKE - severe headaches, dizziness, heart palpitations, chronic fatigue, pressure surges, shortness of breath even with the slightest physical exertion. Endless tests, trips to doctors, pills did not solve my problems. BUT thanks to a simple recipe, headaches are gone, shortness of breath and heart problems have disappeared, pressure has returned to normal, memory and vision have improved. I feel healthy, full of strength and energy. Now my doctor is wondering how it is. Here is a link to the article. Here is a link to the article.

Drugs that can cause psychosis (hallucinations) or delusions

For a person of any age with symptoms of a psychiatric disorder (eg, hallucinations) or delirium, it is important to carefully determine whether these symptoms are caused by medication before starting antipsychotic medication. For a person 60 years of age or older, there is a strong possibility that hallucinations, delirium, or other symptoms similar to those of schizophrenia may be caused by taking the drugs listed below or abruptly stopping alcohol, barbiturates, or other sleeping pills and tranquilizers.

Such drugs and non-narcotic analgesics like idnomethacin (INDOCIN), ketamine (KETALAR), morphine, pentazocine (FORTRAL), and salicylates (eg, aspirin).

Antibiotics and other antibacterials, eg acyclovir (ZOVIRAX), amantidine (MIDANTAN), amphotericin B (FUNGISONE), chloroquine (DELAGIN), cycloserine, ethionamide, isoniazid (NIDRAZIDE), nalidixic acid (NEGRAM), benzylpenicillin (PENICILLIN G).

Anticonvulsants such as ethosuximide (SUXILEP), phenytoin (DIFENIN), and primidine (HEXAMIDINE).

Antiallergic drugs, for example, antihistamines (suprastin, tavegil, etc.).

Antiparkinsonian drugs such as levodopa and carbidopa ( combination drug- p.p.) or bromocriptine (PARLODEL).

Antidepressants such as trazodone (AZONA) and tricyclic antidepressants such as amitriptyline (AMIZOL) and doxepin.

Cardiotropic drugs such as flaxseed preparations (digoxin, etc.), lidocaine (XYLOCAINE) and procainamide (NOVOCAINAMIDE).

Antihypertensive drugs such as clonidine (CLOFELINE), methyldopa (DOPEGIT), prazosin (POLPRESSIN), and propranolol (INDERAL).

Common cold remedies such as ephedrine, oxymetazoline (NAZOL), and pseudoephedrine.

Drugs such as amphetamines (most amphetamines (eg, phenamine, pervitin, "ecstasy") do not cause hallucinations. Among the hallucinogenic amphetamines, mescaline is the most well-known), PCP (pheniccyclidine), barbiturates, cocaine, and crack (the free base of cocaine ). It should also be noted that hallucinations may be due to the accidental or intentional ingestion of certain narcotic plants, such as certain types mushrooms).

Tranquilizers such as alprazolam (XANAX), diazepam (RELANIUM), and triazolam.

Steroids such as dexamethasone (DEXAVEN) and prednisolone (DECORTIN).

Other drugs, eg atropine, aminocaproic acid, baclofen, cimetidine (TAGAMET), ranitidine (ZANTAC), disulfiram (ESPERAL), hormones thyroid gland and vincristine (CYTOMID).

hallucinations

Description:

Hallucinations - perceptions that occur without a real object, deceptions of the senses; the patient sees or hears something that does not exist in reality at the moment.

Hallucinations Symptoms:

Hallucinations are divided by analyzers (visual, tactile, auditory, etc.) and by the nature of their occurrence. The most important in practical terms are the following. Hypnagogic - visual and auditory hallucinations that occur when falling asleep (with closed eyes!) and often serving as a harbinger of developing alcoholic delirium. Visual hallucinations are most common in acute exogenous psychoses and with disturbed consciousness. They are observed mainly in the evening and at night. Microoptical - visual hallucinations in the form of images of people or animals that are very small in size (frequent with alcoholic delirium). Imperative - auditory hallucinations, "voices" ordering to perform certain, often dangerous for the patient or others, actions; sometimes they forbid the patient to talk, make him resist examination or examination, etc. The danger of these hallucinations is that patients are often unable to resist the "order". Auditory hallucinations often occur in silence, when the patient is alone and is not distracted. Auditory hallucinations are especially common in schizophrenia and alcoholic hallucinosis. Olfactory hallucinations are expressed by various imaginary smells, more often unpleasant; usually found in schizophrenia and presenile paranoids; their appearance in the clinical picture of schizophrenia usually means a tendency to an unfavorable course of the disease with resistance to treatment. With tactile hallucinations, the patient experiences a feeling of crawling under the skin of insects, goosebumps, small objects (with alcoholic delirium, cocaine intoxication). With taste hallucinations, patients experience an unusual taste that is not characteristic of this food or the appearance of unpleasant taste sensations in the mouth without food.

There are true hallucinations and false (pseudo-hallucinations). A patient with true hallucinations is convinced of the reality of their existence, since for him they are projected in the surrounding space, not differing from ordinary sounds, voices and visual images.

Pseudo-hallucinations are localized within the patient's own body and are accompanied by a feeling of alienation and madeness (they hear voices in their heads that are transmitted to them from space; they are "made visions"; they are convinced of an outside influence on their thoughts and feelings, often expressing their thoughts about nature of such influence - "hypnosis", "laser", etc.). Pseudo-hallucinations, as a rule, are combined with delusions of influence. If true hallucinations are more characteristic of alcoholic, traumatic and organic psychoses, then pseudohallucinations are only for schizophrenia.

Hallucinosis is a psychopathological syndrome characterized by severe, profuse (of various types) hallucinations that dominate the clinical picture. Hallucinosis is often accompanied by delusions, the content of which depends on "voices" or visions (hallucinatory delusions). Acute hallucinosis usually develops with infectious or intoxication (usually alcoholic) psychoses. With an unfavorable course or insufficient treatment against the background of organic or vascular diseases of the brain, acute hallucinosis becomes chronic, in which auditory and less often tactile hallucinations predominate. With it, the behavior of patients is more ordered, perhaps a critical attitude towards "voices", patients can even remain able to work.

Causes of hallucinations:

The appearance of hallucinations indicates a significant severity of mental disorders; in patients with neuroses, they usually do not happen. Studying the features of hallucinations in each case can help establish the diagnosis of mental illness and predict its outcome. For example, in schizophrenia, the voices that the patient hears are more likely to address him, comment on his actions, or order him to do something. With alcoholic hallucinosis, voices speak of the patient in the third person and usually scold or condemn for drunkenness.

Hallucination Treatment:

The occurrence of hallucinations is an indication for hospitalization (with the obligatory accompaniment of such patients by a paramedic) and active therapy with antipsychotics (haloperidol, triftazin, etaperazine, leponex, etc.). Chronic hallucinatory states in schizophrenia and other mental illnesses require constant maintenance therapy with psychotropic drugs and dynamic monitoring by a psychiatrist. It should be borne in mind that in some cases, patients, when talking with a doctor, can hide their hallucinations (dissimulation), and in the presence of nursing staff, they can “forget” and demonstrate objective signs of experienced hallucinations. The staff should without fail inform the doctor about the presence of hallucinatory disorders in the patient.