Which type of hallucinations are most common

This article has been cited by other articles in PMC. Abstract The literature on hallucinations is reviewed, including its occurrence in different psychiatric disorders, neurological disorders and normal persons. Keywords: Clinical aspects, hallucinations, management. Open in a separate window. Affective disorders Severe depression is sometimes accompanied by auditory hallucinations, which are usually transient and limited to single words or short phrases and, generally, saying things consistent with the patient's depressed mood.

Postpartum psychosis Symptoms of postpartum disorders center on the women's feelings about the newborn baby and her role as a mother. Hallucinations induced by psychoactive substances Psychoactive substances predominantly induce visual hallucinations. Delirium tremens Hallucinations in delirium tremens usually involve visual hallucinations, which typically involve different types of animals cats, dogs, insects, snakes, rats or signs and shapes multicolored patterns, chalk writing on slate.

Alcoholic hallucinosis The syndrome is characterized by hallucinations typically auditory, but also visual and tactile , delusions, misidentification, psychomotor disturbances and abnormal affect.

Post-traumatic stress disorder Combat veterans with Post-traumatic stress disorder PTSD have more schizophrenic symptoms, particularly hallucinations and paranoia, compared with those without PTSD. Borderline personality disorder A study of Borderline personality disorder BPD patients revealed that Hallucination in neurological and organic mental disorders Formed and unformed visual hallucinations occur as a result of cortical lesions involving the occipital and temporoparietal areas.

Parkinson's disease Hallucinations are reported by Hallucinations in ear diseases Auditory hallucinations have been reported in patients with both bilateral and unilateral hearing loss. Hallucinations in eye diseases Visual hallucinations have been reported in patients with impaired vision or blindness since birth.

Subclinical hallucination in non-psychotic children and adolescents Some children or adolescents may report of subclinical hallucination or delusion, yet not fulfill the criteria for specific psychotic disorders [ Table 2 ]. Three hypotheses in the current literature propose that these symptoms are: Table 2 Mean rates of hallucination in the general population studies.

Hallucinations in non-morbid conditions Hallucinations in the general population are associated with victimization experiences, average and below average IQ and female sex. Table 3 Coping strategies adopted by psychotic patients with hallucinations. Psychoeducation For patients, caregivers and their associates, psychoeducation is a valuable tool for determining what is wrong with the patient and how the condition may have developed.

Cognitive behavior therapy The aims of Cognitive behavior therapy CBT for psychotic patients are to reduce the distress and disability caused by psychotic symptoms, to reduce emotional disturbances and to help the person to arrive at an understanding of psychosis, to promote the active participation of the individual in the regulation of risk of relapse and social disability. An ABC analysis of voices According to this formulation, a voice is seen as an activating event A to which the individual gives a meaning B and experiences the associated emotional and behavioral reactions C.

Table 4 ABC analysis of auditory hallucinations. Evaluation of CBT Studies suggest that CBT is a modestly effective treatment scheme for positive psychotic symptoms, although there have been negative findings in well-conducted studies.

Hallucination-focused integrative treatment Hallucination-focused integrative treatment HIT uses multiple modalities to maximize control of persistent auditory hallucinations. Methodological difficulties in the psychological treatment of auditory hallucination Auditory hallucinations are subjective experiences that are difficult to measure objectively.

Two hundred years of research into this phenomenon has not yet answered the following questions: Whether hallucinations are pathognomic of psychosis or not? What is the neural substrate of hallucination? Klemperer F. Ghosts, visions, voices. Early manifestations and first contact incidence of schizophrenia in different cultures. Psychol Med. Aleman A, Laroi F. The science of idiosyncratic perception. Correlates of hallucinations in schizophrenia: A crosscultural evaluation. Schizophr Res. Persistent hallucinosis in borderline personality disorder.

Compr Psychiatry. Cutting J. Principles of psychopathology: Two worlds- two minds- two hemispheres. Oxford: Oxford University Press; Visual hallucinations in Lewy body disease relate to Lewy bodies in the temporal lobe. Hyperperfusion in the lateral temporal cortex, the striatum and the thalamus during complex visual halluciantions: Single photon emission computed tomograhy findings in patients with Charles Bonnet Syndrome.

Psychiatr Clin Neurosci. Kessler R. Childhood Hallucination preceding the first psychotic episode. J Nerv Mental Dis. Green C, McCreery C. London: Hamish Hamilton; Tien AY. Distribution of hallucination in the population. Soc Psychiatr Psychiatr Epidemiol.

Ohayon M. Prevalence of hallucinations and their pathological associations in the general population. Psychiatr Res. A psychosis continuum in the normal population? Psychotic symptoms in an urban general medicine practice. Am J Psychiatry. Prevalence and correlates of self-reported psychotic symptoms in the British population. Br J Psychiatry. Affective reactions to auditory hallucinations in psychotic, evangelical and control groups. Br J Clin Psychol. Milham A, Easton S.

Prevalence of auditory hallucinations in nurses in mental health. J Psychiatr Mental Health Nursing. Treatment may include taking medication to treat a health condition. Your doctor may also recommend adopting different behaviors like drinking less alcohol and getting more sleep to improve your hallucinations. The hallucinations may be of objects, visual patterns, people, or lights.

Olfactory hallucinations involve your sense of smell. This type of hallucination can also include scents you find enjoyable, like the smell of flowers. Gustatory hallucinations are similar to olfactory hallucinations, but they involve your sense of taste instead of smell. These tastes are often strange or unpleasant. Gustatory hallucinations often with a metallic taste are a relatively common symptom for people with epilepsy.

Auditory hallucinations are among the most common type of hallucination. You might hear someone speaking to you or telling you to do certain things. The voice may be angry, neutral, or warm. Other examples of this type of hallucination include hearing sounds, like someone walking in the attic or repeated clicking or tapping noises. Tactile hallucinations involve the feeling of touch or movement in your body. For example, you might feel that bugs are crawling on your skin or that your internal organs are moving around.

Mental illnesses are among the most common causes of hallucinations. Schizophrenia , dementia , and delirium are a few examples. This includes is a group of serious symptoms of mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. In addition, hallucinations can happen to almost anyone if they are subjected to extreme physical or mental stress. A person may also hallucinate when they are extremely sleep deprived.

Visual hallucinations can include mild distortions of what you see around you. People who use hallucinogenic drugs often describe these mild distortions as pleasant. It might include experiences such as:. Visual hallucinations are a hallmark effect of hallucinogenic drugs, such as LSD. The extent to which people experience hallucinations while under the influence of these drugs varies. Some people see these "visuals" consistently on low doses of the drug, while other people experience only a stimulant effect, even on quite high doses.

This can also change rapidly within the same drug experience. People who have never hallucinated before may suddenly find themselves in an alien, seemingly make-believe world. Visual hallucinations can be pleasant or unpleasant. They can quickly shift from one to the other, causing rapid shifts in mood. Auditory hallucinations can range from mild distortions in what you hear to hearing voices when nobody is speaking. The voices may be quiet or loud, friendly or intimidating.

Auditory hallucinations are the most common type of hallucination experienced by people dealing with schizophrenia. Distortions to sounds and the intensity of auditory experiences, such as listening to music, are common on hallucinogenic drugs.

Tactile hallucinations are physical sensations of something that is not there. Mild tactile hallucinations are common in people high on psychoactive drugs.

Here are a few more practical steps for helping your loved one cope with hallucinations. The environment can play an important role in misperceptions and worsening of hallucinations; for example, a poorly lit room and loud, chaotic setting may increase the likelihood of a hallucination.

Depending on the severity of the hallucination, gently touching or patting your loved one may help serve as a distraction and reduce the hallucination. Other possible distractions include conversation, music, or a move to another room. If they ask: "Did you hear that? Keeping normal and reliable day-to-day routines can make it less likely that your loved one will stray from reality and experience hallucinations.

Consider keeping a record of when hallucinations occur and under what circumstances. For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database. Dealing with racing thoughts? Always feeling tired? Our guide offers strategies to help you or your loved one live better with bipolar disorder.

Sign up for our newsletter and get it free. Chaudhury S. Hallucinations: Clinical aspects and management. Ind Psychiatry J. Hallucinations in healthy older adults: An overview of the literature and perspectives for future research.

Front Psychol. Bipolar Disorder. Department of Health and Human Services. National Institutes of Health.