What Causes Hallucinations
Hallucination is a condition that causes false perceptions of certain things and sensory experiences. Hallucinations can be signs of severe conditions or diseases such as schizophrenia, dementia, bipolar disorder, etc. Some people might experience some types of hallucinations simultaneously while just experiencing one at a time. You must discuss your hallucination with your doctor to know about your hallucination episode so that your condition can be treated quickly. Visit the best Mental Health Clinic in Brooklyn at Doral Health & Wellness or www.doralhw.org.
Learn about the causes of hallucinations in detail in this article.
Causes
Hallucinations can be caused by many things and conditions which cause temporary or permanent hallucinations, such as:
Temporary causes
- During deep sleep or waking up.
- High fever, especially in children and older people.
- Severe dehydration
- Trauma
- Migraine
- Grieving
- Certain infections and diseases such as UTIs (Urinary Tract Infections) particularly in older people.
- After taking anesthesia during a surgery or procedure.
- Being under the influence of alcohol or drugs such as marijuana, hallucinogens (LSD and PCP) cocaine, amphetamines, heroin, or ketamine.
- Sleep problems or deprivation (not being able to sleep for a long time).
These types of temporary hallucinations are not a significant cause of concern as they happen temporarily. However, keep in mind if you have any medical conditions that cause them then, you should seek medical attention to treat the issue.
Permanent causes
Some hallucinations are caused by certain neurological or mental health conditions, such as:
Neurological conditions
- Parkinson’s disease: This condition affects your nervous system and deteriorates the nerves which cause severe symptoms over time. 20 to 40% of people with Parkinson’s disease experience hallucinations and delusions. It might also be caused by their medications or dementia.
- Alzheimer’s disease: This condition slowly destroys your ability to think or memorize/learn which makes you unable to do regular work. 13% of people with Alzheimer’s disease experience hallucinations due to the effect on the brain by this condition.
- Lewy body dementia: It is a condition that affects nerve cells due to the buildup of clumps of proteins called Lewy body dementia. It can damage the nerves which can cause hallucinations, especially visual hallucinations. If you experience visual hallucinations, then it might be a sign of Lewy body dementia.
- Epilepsy: Epilepsy is a neurological condition that causes a sudden recurrent episode of sensory disturbance, loss-conscious, and abnormal electrical disturbance in the brain. If epilepsy happens in the temporal lobe (part of the brain) then you might experience hallucinations.
- Narcolepsy: This neurological condition affects the brain’s ability to control the sleep-wake cycle which causes hallucinations when people are about to fall asleep or wake up.
Mental health conditions
Mental health conditions that usually cause hallucinations are mostly linked to schizophrenia and schizophrenia-related conditions. Schizophrenia is believed that the main mental health condition that causes hallucination which affects the brain, disconnects them from reality, and leads to delusions and hallucinations.
Conditions that come under the schizophrenia spectrum that cause hallucinations are:
- Schizophrenia
- Delusional disorder.
- Schizophreniform disorder.
- Schizoaffective disorder
- Schizotypal personality disorder
Other mental health conditions that also cause hallucinations include:
- Bipolar disorder: It is a condition in which people experience severe depressive or manic episodes which cause hallucinations.
- Psychotic depression: Major depressive disorder with psychotic features is a type of depression that causes mood disturbance accompanied by either delusions, hallucinations, or both.
Other reasons that cause hallucinations
- Other conditions: Conditions such as liver and kidney failure, Charles Bonnet syndrome (a person’s vision that starts to deteriorate), stage 3 HIV/AIDS, or brain cancer that can cause hallucinations.
- Medications: Certain prescribed medications which are used to treat mental and physical health conditions can cause hallucinations.
Want to know more in detail about hallucination and its management, then call us at 1-347-384-5690 to schedule a consultation. If you need help learning coping methods, register your information and make direct contact with our doctor or psychiatrist to learn those methods, log on to www.doralhw.org. Doral Health and Wellness has the best Doctors and Psychiatrists that specialize in Behavioral Health make accurate diagnoses, and craft tailored treatment programs. Visit us at 1797 Pitkin Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11212.