Hallucinations

One cannot argue or convince someone experiencing a hallucination or paranoid delusion that their perceptions are not accurate. One effective strategy is to acknowledge to the person that what they are experiencing must be extremely stressful. This opens the door for a recommendation to seek treatment and a medication evaluation for stress and anxiety rather than for a “psychotic” disorder. This engenders trust and does not create a confrontation.

There are many types of hallucinations, involving all of our senses.

(CLICK ON A HALLUCINATION BELOW TO LEARN MORE) :

Auditory Visual Tactile Olfactory

AUDITORY HALLUCINATIONS

People hear voices that other people don’t hear. Sometimes, they believe they are receiving messages from the TV or radio that are specifically directed at them. This is often a sign of psychosis, and is characteristic of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and substance abuse.

COMMAND HALLUCINATIONS

Command hallucinations are auditory hallucinations that “command” the person to do something and are among the most dangerous conditions. They are very hard for the person to resist. These “voices” tell the person what, where, and when to do something. The “voices” may be telling the person to hurt themselves and/or someone else. The person feels compelled to comply.

VISUAL HALLUCINATIONS

People see things that other people don’t see. Acute onset can be a symptom of a potentially life-threatening neurological disorder (such as a stroke or tumor) or a serious substance abuse issue and is rarely a symptom of a psychological disorder.

TACTILE HALLUCINATIONS

People feel unpleasant sensations, such as bugs crawling up their arms. This is often a sign of severe substance abuse, withdrawal, or psychosis. People have been known to cut or scratch themselves in order to “get the bugs out!”

OLFACTORY (smell) & GUSTATORY (taste) HALLUCINATIONS

People smell or taste unpleasant odors or tastes that don’t come from any identifiable source. While this may be caused by substance abuse or psychosis it is more often a sign of a neurological disorder and should be checked out medically.