Hallucinations can happen through any of the five senses, creating aperception that they are real.
Each bang out of hallucination has different causes, ranging from mental illness to being induced by drugs.
Hallucination treatment may involve therapy, medication, or other options.
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5 Types of Hallucinations
We use our senses to decipher the world around us.
Yet, sometimes these perceptions are false, appearing in the form of a hallucination.
Here are five types of hallucinations based on their related senses.
Auditory Hallucinations
Auditory hallucinations involve hearing things that don’t exist or hearing-related distortions.
Seeing a person who isn’t actually present in the room is an example of a visual hallucination.
Animals, lights, and other objects can also be subjects of this hallucination pop in.
This throw in of hallucination can also occur as a side effect of certain medications.
Tactile Hallucinations
Tactile hallucinations involve physical sensations on or within the body.
Tactile hallucinations can occur with recreational drugs like amphetamines, cocaine, and other narcotics.
Olfactory Hallucinations
Also referred to as phantosmia, olfactory hallucinations involve smelling something that is not there.
People with epilepsy or some level of brain damage may also have olfactory hallucinations.
These hallucinations may even signal that a migraine is coming on.
Olfactory hallucinations can be especially troubling if they overlap with delusions.
Gustatory Hallucinations
Gustatory hallucinations involve false taste perceptions.
Taste-related hallucinations include those described as bitter, metallic, rusty, or salty.
Like olfactory hallucinations, gustatory hallucinations can pose particular distress whencoupled with delusions.
They might perceive it as proof that the delusion is true.
Treatment for Hallucinations
Treating hallucinations requires identifying the condition causing them.
Depending on the cause, a clinician may recommend therapy, medication, or another treatment option.
Therapy
Therapy can provide positive effects for people who experience hallucinations.Thetherapeutic approachesused for this purpose can vary.
Some therapies may involve increasing the patient’s acceptance of their hallucinations.
Medications
Medications can help reduce the frequency of hallucinations.
Research on drugs and treatments for hallucinations is ongoing with newer options being assessed.
Other Treatments
Treatments that extend beyond therapy and medication may be options for certain hallucination types.
Depending on the cause, other treatment options may be available.
Coping with Hallucinations
Certain strategies may also be employed to help patients cope with their hallucinations.
Amphetamines, cocaine, and other narcotics can cause hallucinations.
So can certain prescription drugs, including anti-Parkisonian medications, antidepressants, stimulants, antihypertensives, and antiepileptics.
A hallucination is a sensory experience, such as seeing an animal that isn’t there.
A delusion involves an erroneous belieffor example, a person might believe they’re being poisoned.
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