Hallucination - How To Identify It?

Hallucinations, in simple words, can be described as the perceptions or sensations that are experienced by a person when they are awake which seem to be real, but they are not actually real, they are created by the brain. How actually you experience hallucinations cannot be predicted that means, you may see something, you may hear something, you may taste something which isn’t real, you may smell something or feel something which does not exist.

Some common signs of hallucinations are, seeing objects which are not real, hearing voices when there is no one around or when people around do not speak, a sensation of skin crawling, etc.
Hallucination is completely different from dreams. In dreams, you are not awake, but in hallucinations you are awake. Basically, hallucinations are medical conditions or psychiatric conditions of the brain.

Signs and Symptoms of Hallucinations:

1. Hearing voices i.e. auditory hallucinations: A person with this mental illness will feel that there is some voice coming from inside the brain or from outside and talking to them or asking them to do something specific. Sometimes, they also hear voices of people talking to each other who are not actually present.
2. Seeing things i.e visual hallucinations: In this condition, a person starts seeing things that aren’t there for real. They could see some objects, some light patterns, some people moving around, etc.
3. Smelling things i.e olfactory hallucinations: Sometimes, the person with this type of hallucination feels that there is some odd smell in the room and could also feel like that odd and bad smell is coming from their own body. Waking in the night smelling something strange in the room when there is nothing is another sign of olfactory hallucination.
4. Feeling things i.e. tactile hallucinations: The person starts feeling things that are not real, such as they could feel like some insects are crawling on their body, feel someone is tickling them, or blowing hot air on their face.
5. Tasting things i.e. gustatory hallucinations: A person with this condition could eat something and then feel like the food that they are eating tastes odd when the same food is fine for everyone else it.

There are many reasons for hallucinations and it varies from person to person. Mental illness is one of the main reasons for hallucinations. A recent breakup of a relationship or a loss of someone close can cause hallucinations. Substance abuse is said to be a common cause for hallucinations such as too much alcohol or drug abuse. An overdose of medicine or misuse of medicine or lack of proper sleep can also be a reason. Seek immediate medical help when you experience any of the signs in yourself or in someone close to you. Medical help can make things better.