Hallucinating

About the Symptom

Most commonly, a hallucination can be seeing or hearing something that does not exist, but it could also include one of the other senses such as smell or touch. It can be caused by many different physical or psychiatric conditions.

When to see a doctor

Seek professional care if you experience any of the following symptoms

• Hallucinations

Possible Causes

Generally, Hallucinating can be related to:

• Schizophrenia

  A psychotic disorder characterized by disturbances in thinking (cognition), emotional responsiveness, and behavior, with an age of onset typically between the late teens and mid-30s. Hearing voices and/or believing things that aren't consistent with reality are common symptoms. The exact cause is unknown, but a mix of genetic, psychological, and environmental factors are likely responsible.

• Dissociative Disorder

  Dissociative disorder is a mental disorder that involves experiencing a disconnection and lack of continuity between thoughts, memories, surroundings, actions, and identity. People with dissociative disorder escape reality in ways that are involuntary and unhealthy, causing problems with functioning in everyday life.

• Herpes Simplex Encephalitis (HSE)

  Herpes encephalitis is inflammation of the brain caused by the herpes simplex virus, resulting in neurological symptoms.

• Bipolar Disorder
• Narcolepsy
• Parkinson's Disease

Related serious diseases

Sometimes, Hallucinating may be related to these serious diseases:

• Wernicke Encephalopathy

  Wernicke encephalopathy (WE) is an acute neurologic condition condition characterized by vision changes, ataxia (loss of coordination and balance), and confusion. It is caused by B1 or thiamine deficiency.

• Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome (PRES)

• Encephalitis / Encephalopathy
• Dehydration

Doctor's Diagnostic Questions

Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this symptom:

• Have you experienced non-existent sensory perceptions?
• How long have you been experiencing hallucinations?
• Have you ever had hallucinations before?
• Do you see things that aren't supposed to be there, such as bugs on the walls?
• Have you seen bugs or felt agitated within two days of stopping drinking?

Find Similar Symptoms

References

• Jardri R, Larøi F, Waters F; International Consortium on Hallucination Research. Hallucination Research: Into the Future, and Beyond. Schizophr Bull. 2019 Feb 1;45(45 Suppl 1):S1-S4. doi: 10.1093/schbul/sby170. PMID: 30715538; PMCID: PMC6357977.

  https://academic.oup.com/schizophreniabulletin/article/45/Supplement_1/S1/5305654

• Zepf J, Zepf S. Hallucination in Adolescence-Or, Nora in Nowhereland Between Neurosis and Psychosis. Psychoanal Rev. 2018 Oct;105(5):463-480. doi: 10.1521/prev.2018.105.5.463. PMID: 30300083.

  https://guilfordjournals.com/doi/10.1521/prev.2018.105.5.463

• Graux J, Lemoine M, El Hage W, Camus V. From depersonalization to hallucination. Psychopathology. 2012;45(1):42-52. doi: 10.1159/000325911. Epub 2011 Nov 28. PMID: 22123515.

  https://www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/325911

• Blom JD. Auditory hallucinations. Handb Clin Neurol. 2015;129:433-55. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-444-62630-1.00024-X. PMID: 25726283.

  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B978044462630100024X?via%3Dihub

• Wu F, Cheng J, Wang X, Wang L, Tao D. Image Hallucination From Attribute Pairs. IEEE Trans Cybern. 2022 Jan;52(1):568-581. doi: 10.1109/TCYB.2020.2979258. Epub 2022 Jan 11. PMID: 32275630.

  https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9059026