Auditory hallucinations causes. Treatment of auditory hallucinations with folk remedies

Hallucinations are imaginary perceptions, perceptions without an object, sensations that occur without stimuli. Hallucinations are a deception, a mistake, an error in the perception of all the senses, when the patient sees, hears or feels something that is not really there.

The functioning of the brain is far from being fully studied, namely, the most unusual and mysterious is hidden in the unknown. Hallucinations are from this area. The brain shows us pictures that aren't there. Auditory hallucinations are perceived as a voice "from above". Hallucinations have been known since time immemorial. They were given special importance. In the rituals of the ancient Indians, shamans used "sacred" mushrooms to fall into a trance and induce "visions". These mushrooms were considered divine, images and statues of mushrooms are found in ancient temples. The Maya widely used hallucinogenic drugs (mushrooms, herbs, tobacco, cacti) for religious and medical purposes, to relieve pain. Many famous talented people experienced hallucinations (alcoholism, opium, schizophrenia, psychosis) and at the same time gave the world new literary genres - Edgar Poe, Hemingway, Jonathan Swift, Jean Jacques Rousseau, Gogol, Yesenin, Guy de Maupassant; masterpieces of art - Vincent van Gogh, Goya; Vrubel; music - Chopin; mathematician - John Forbes Nash, Nobel Prize winner for developments in the field of game theory and differential geometry. The interweaving of the spiritual world, the real world and the world of perceptions under the influence of the psychopathic process in geniuses become unpredictable and amazing. But in the end they lead to degradation and devastation.

Paintings by artists with hallucinations

There are hallucinations: visual, olfactory, auditory, gustatory, general feeling (visceral and muscular).

Causes of hallucinations

visual hallucinations- vision of visual images of colored bright or faded, motionless and whole scenes in which the patient can take part in their absence in reality.

visual hallucinations

They may appear in case of alcohol poisoning (as a symptom of delirium tremens), drugs and substances with a psychostimulant effect (LSD, cocaine, hashish, opium, amphetamines, beta-blockers, sympathomimetics), drugs with M-anticholinergic action (atropine, scopalamine, antiparkinsonian drugs). , phenothiazines, central muscle relaxants - cyclobenzaprine, orphenadrine; tricyclic antidepressants, plant toxins - dope, belladonna, mushrooms - pale grebe), some organic tin compounds. Visual hallucinations in combination with auditory hallucinations can be with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, Lewy body disease, occlusion of the posterior cerebral artery (peduncular hallucinosis).

auditory hallucinations- the patient hears sounds that are not really there - words, calls, voices that can order, scold, praise. They occur with schizophrenia, alcoholic hallucinosis, poisoning with psychotic substances, cocaine, Lewy body disease, simple partial seizures.

Olfactory hallucinations- sensation of smell in its absence. Occurs with damage to the temporal lobe of the brain, schizophrenia. With schizophrenia, unpleasant odors, putrefactive, rotten are more often felt. With herpetic encephalitis, simple partial seizures, olfactory hallucinations can be combined with taste hallucinations.

Flavoring- a sensation of a non-present taste stimulus, a pleasant or disgusting taste in the mouth. The patient may refuse to eat because of this.

Tactile hallucinations- the patient feels non-existent objects - with alcohol withdrawal syndrome, in combination with visual and auditory hallucinations.

Body hallucinations- unpleasant sensations in the body - the passage of current, bursting of bubbles in the intestines, touching the body, grabbing hands, legs - with schizophrenia, encephalitis.

Hallucinations are true and false. The patient sees true hallucinations from the outside, hallucinatory images are in the nature of reality, accurately projected in space. False hallucinations do not have a projection in the external space, the patient sees and hears them inside the head - the hallucination is projected in the head and is not perceived by the senses.

Hallucinations are simple and complex. Simple hallucinations capture reflections of one sense organ. The combination of hallucinations of two or more sense organs is called complex. If you see a devil, hear his steps, feel cold on your back, hear his whisper - you are experiencing a complex hallucination. For the development of a complex hallucination, self-hypnosis, personality traits, psyche, and psychological complexes matter. The content of hallucinations is diverse, peculiar and unexpected; it arises from the mental reserve of the unconscious sphere of mental activity.

Diseases that cause hallucinations

There are hallucinations in schizophrenia, epilepsy, brain tumors, alcoholic psychosis, infectious diseases, brain syphilis, herpetic encephalitis, cerebral atherosclerosis, drug poisoning - cocaine, LSD, mescaline. Hallucinations occur with hypothermia.

Hallucinatory-paranoid syndrome - a patient seeing hallucinations (terrifying - murders, violence, threats) takes them for reality and tells their content - nonsense. Develops with alcoholic psychosis, schizophrenia, syphilis of the brain.

Hallucinosis is a syndrome characterized by the presence of pronounced and persistent (usually auditory) hallucinations - more often with alcoholism, syphilis.

Alcoholic delirium is an alcoholic psychosis characterized by true visual hallucinations, delusional disorders, behavioral changes, motor restlessness. It develops against the background of abstinence or a hangover. Illusions appear first, and then true hallucinations. More often the patient sees small animals, insects, less often snakes, devils, people. Visual hallucinations can be combined with auditory, olfactory, tactile. The patient is excited, his movements correspond to visions in a hallucination. Delusion is the content of a hallucination.

Alcoholic hallucinosis - alcoholic psychosis - in the evening or at night during insomnia, anxiety, fear and auditory deceptions acutely arise. The sense of threat already comes from the delusional perception of the "altered reality of the world." Voices often swear, argue, an evil voice swears with a good one. The feeling of fear grows and the patient tries to escape. It develops at the height of binge or during withdrawal. Acute hallucinosis lasts from 2 days to a month, subacute - 1 - 3 months, chronic - from 6 months.

Prison hallucinosis - delusional perception of reality with auditory hallucinations - whispering, persecution.

Chronic tactile hallucinosis - the patient constantly thinks that goosebumps and worms are crawling on the skin and under the skin - with organic brain damage, senile psychosis.

In some cases of poisoning with tetraethyl lead (contained in leaded gasoline), an acute psychotic state occurs with a disorder of consciousness and hallucinatory experiences - more often imperative auditory hallucinations and tactile ones - the taste of hair in the mouth.

With syphilis of the brain, there are auditory hallucinations in the form of individual sounds and words, exclamations, visual hallucinations of unpleasant content.

The hallucinations of drug addicts combine both auditory and visual images, unrealistic, evil, scary creatures, delusions of persecution, and jealousy.

Visual hallucination of a polydrug addict.

With decompensation of cardiovascular diseases, mood disturbance, anxiety, fears, insomnia and hallucinatory manifestations occur. With the improvement of the physical condition and the normalization of blood circulation, all mental disorders disappear.

With rheumatic diseases of the heart and joints, irritability, intolerance, tearfulness, sleep disturbances, deceptions of perceptions develop, especially in the evenings, less often hallucinations.

Auditory and visual hallucinations are possible with malignant tumors. In development, the toxicity of the disease, exhaustion, brain damage, and the use of narcotic substances as analgesics play a role.

In infectious diseases - typhus and typhoid fever, malaria, pneumonia - there may be influxes of visual hallucinations, illusory perceptions of surrounding objects and fragmentary delusional statements about exciting, frightening scenes, attacks by monsters, death. When the temperature drops, everything disappears.

Amentia is a severe form of impaired consciousness, characterized by a violation of the integrity of the perception of an object, a violation of the synthesis of perceptions, a violation of thinking, speech, orientation in oneself and space, hallucinations. Occurs with endogenous psychoses (traumatic, infectious, toxic). May be fatal. For the period of amentia, survivors develop amnesia (memory loss).

Hallucinations are a symptom of mental illness - schizophrenia, psychosis.

Hallucinogenic mushrooms

Mushrooms have been known for thousands of years to cause hallucinations.

Hallucinogenic mushrooms - Psilocybe - there are more than 20 species, they grow on soil, dead plants, branches, wetlands, peat, manure, forest humus. Mushrooms contain psychoactive substances of the tryptamine group - a neurotoxic poison that causes hallucinations, psychoneuroses, drug addiction and death.

Psilocybe

The red fly agaric is a very strong hallucinogen, some peoples of Siberia call it "the mushroom of the insane", when it is eaten, tremors, agitation, and visual hallucinations occur.

fly agaric

Drugs that cause hallucinations

Some drugs can cause hallucinations - narcotic analgesics, some antibiotics and antivirals, sulfonamides, anti-tuberculosis, anticonvulsants, antihistamines, anti-Parkinsonian, antidepressants, cardiotropic, antihypertensive, psychostimulants, tranquilizers, narcotics - mescaline, cocaine, crack, LSD, PCP, psilocybin.

Examination of a patient with hallucinations

In the photo on the left, a patient with mushroom poisoning and hallucinations.

The attitude to hallucinations can be critical and not critical. A person can understand that the voices and scenes he hears are not real, but can consider them to be real reality. Scenes that correspond to reality are more real - visions of relatives, for example. Patients who experience hallucinations may or may not distinguish between hallucinations and reality, and may feel something like precursors before the onset of a hallucination. Others may notice the presence of hallucinations in the behavior of the patient - gestures, facial expressions, words and actions that do not correspond to the surrounding reality. If a person himself is not able to assess his condition, this should be taken care of by others and taken to a doctor - a psychiatrist, a neurologist for a comprehensive examination.

At the pre-medical stage, the main thing is to protect the patient and others, to prevent dangerous traumatic actions and deeds.

It is important to clarify the nature of hallucinations for diagnosis and for methods of care and supervision of the patient. The examination includes tests and procedures performed when any of the diseases listed above are suspected.

Which doctor should I contact if hallucinations occur

Doctors may need help:

Neurologist
- Psychiatrist
- Narcologist
- Oncologist

Treatment of hallucinations

Depending on the underlying disease, individual treatment is carried out. In acute conditions, hospitalization is necessary. With severe hallucinations, antipsychotics, sedatives, tranquilizers, and detoxification therapy are used. The main thing is to see a doctor in time.

Consultation with a doctor about hallucinations

Question: Can a healthy person have hallucinations?

Answer: Healthy people may have illusions - visual, auditory, gustatory, tactile - this is a distortion of the perception of real-life objects of the surrounding world. Flowing water may seem like a conversation, a hanging dressing gown in a dark room can be mistaken for a person, incomprehensible shadows in the twilight under a bush for animals. Illusions can also be with infectious diseases, poisoning, exhaustion. An illusion arises when an inappropriate representation is added to perception, sensation.

Neurologist Kobzeva S.V.

Hallucinations are those that occur in the absence of an external stimulus, but are perceived as real. They can be associated with all the senses, that is, they can be visual, tactile and even olfactory. Probably the most common type of hallucinations are those where the person "hears voices". They are called auditory verbal hallucinations. T&P continue the special project with New translation of an article by neuroscientist Paul Allen, published on the Serious Science website, about auditory hallucinations and the nature of their occurrence.

Concept definition

Although auditory hallucinations are commonly associated with mental illnesses like bipolar disorder, they are not always a sign of illness. In some cases, they may be caused by lack of sleep; Marijuana and stimulant drugs can also cause perceptual disturbances in some people. It has been experimentally proven that hallucinations can occur due to a prolonged absence of sensory stimuli: in the 1960s, experiments were conducted (which would now be impossible for ethical reasons), during which people were kept in dark rooms without sound. In the end, people began to see and hear things that were not there in reality. So hallucinations can occur both in patients and in mentally healthy people.

Research into the nature of this phenomenon has been going on for quite some time: psychiatrists and psychologists have been trying to understand the causes and phenomenology of auditory hallucinations for about a hundred years (and maybe longer). In the last three decades, it became possible to use encephalograms, which helped researchers of that time to understand what was happening in the brain during moments of auditory hallucinations. And now we can look at its different areas involved in these periods, using a functional magnetic resonance scan or positron tomography. These technologies have helped psychologists and psychiatrists develop models of auditory hallucinations in the brain - mostly related to the function of language and speech.

Proposed theories for the mechanisms of auditory hallucinations

Some studies have shown that when patients experience auditory hallucinations, that is, they hear voices, activity in a part of their brain called Broca's area increases. This area is located in the small frontal lobe of the brain and is responsible for speech production: when you speak, it is Broca's area that works. One of the first to study this phenomenon were professors Philip McGuire and Suchy Shergill from King's College London. They noticed that their patients' Broca's area was more active during auditory hallucinations - compared to moments when voices were silent. This suggests that auditory hallucinations are produced by the speech and language centers of our brain. The results of these studies led to the creation of internal speech models of auditory hallucinations.

When we think about something, we generate inner speech - an inner voice that voices our thinking. For example, when we ask the question “What am I going to have for lunch?” or “What will the weather be like tomorrow?”, we generate inner speech and are believed to activate Broca’s area. But how does this inner speech begin to be perceived by the brain as external, not coming from itself? According to internal speech models of auditory verbal hallucinations, such voices are thoughts generated inside the consciousness or internal speech, somehow incorrectly defined as external, alien. More complex models of the process of how we track our own inner speech follow from this.

The English neuroscientist and neuropsychologist Chris Frith and others have suggested that when we enter into the process of thinking and internal speech, Broca's area sends a signal to an area of ​​our auditory cortex called Wernicke's area. This signal contains information that the speech we perceive is generated by us. This is because the transmitted signal is supposed to dampen the neuronal activity of the sensory cortex, so it is not activated as intensely as it is from external stimuli, such as someone talking to you. This model is known as the self-monitoring model, and it suggests that people with auditory hallucinations are deficient in this process, causing them to be unable to distinguish between internal and external speech. Although the evidence for this theory is currently rather weak, it is certainly one of the most influential models of auditory hallucinations that have emerged in the last 20 to 30 years.

Consequences of hallucinations

About 70% of people with schizophrenia hear voices to some extent. They are treatable, but not always. Usually (though not in all cases) votes have a negative impact on the quality of life and health status. For example, patients who hear voices and do not respond to treatment have an increased risk of suicide (sometimes voices call for self-harm). One can imagine how hard it is for people even in everyday situations, when they constantly hear humiliating and insulting words addressed to them.

But auditory hallucinations do not only occur in people with mental disorders. Moreover, these voices are not always evil. Thus, Marius Romm and Sandra Escher lead a very active "Society of Hearing Voices" - a movement that speaks about their positive aspects and fights against their stigmatization. Many people who hear voices live active and happy lives, so we cannot assume that voices are a priori bad. Yes, they are often associated with aggressive, paranoid, and anxious behavior, but it may be due to emotional distress rather than the presence of voices. Not surprisingly, the anxiety and paranoia that are often at the core of mental illness show up in what these voices say. But, as already mentioned, many people without a psychiatric diagnosis state that they hear voices, and for them this can be a positive experience, since voices can calm or even suggest the direction in which to move in life. Professor Iris Sommer from the Netherlands has carefully studied this phenomenon: the healthy people she studied, hearing voices, described them as something positive, useful and giving self-confidence.

Treatment of hallucinations

People diagnosed with schizophrenia are usually treated with antipsychotic medications that block postsynaptic dopamine receptors in the striatum, the brain's striatum. Antipsychotics are effective in many cases: as a result of treatment, psychotic symptoms subside, especially auditory hallucinations and manias. Some patients, however, do not respond well to antipsychotics. Approximately 25-30% of patients who hear voices are hardly affected by drugs. Antipsychotics also have serious side effects, so these medications are not suitable for everyone.

As for other methods, there are many options for non-drug treatment. Their effectiveness also varies. For example, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Its use in the treatment of psychosis is somewhat controversial, as many researchers believe that it has little effect on the symptoms and overall outcome of the disease. But there are types of CBT designed specifically for patients who hear voices. This therapy is usually aimed at changing the patient's attitude towards the voice so that the latter is perceived as less negative and unpleasant. The effectiveness of this treatment remains in question.

I am currently leading a study at King's College London to see if we can teach patients to self-regulate neural activity in the auditory cortex. This is achieved using neural feedback, which is sent in real time using MRI. An MRI scanner is used to measure the signal coming from the auditory cortex. This signal is then sent back to the patient via a visual interface, which the patient must learn to control (ie move the lever up and down). It is expected that we will be able to teach voice-hearing patients to control the activity of their auditory cortex, which in turn may allow them to better control their voices. The researchers are not yet sure whether this method will be clinically effective, but some preliminary data will be available in the next few months.

Prevalence in the population

About 24 million people worldwide live with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, and about 60% or 70% of them have heard voices. There is evidence that between 5% and 10% of the population without a psychiatric diagnosis have also heard them at some point in their lives. Some of us sometimes felt that someone was calling us by name, and then it turned out that there was no one around. So there is evidence that auditory hallucinations are more common than we think, although accurate epidemiological statistics are hard to come by.

The most famous person who heard voices was probably Joan of Arc. From modern history, one can recall Syd Barrett, the founder of Pink Floyd, who suffered from schizophrenia and auditory hallucinations. But, again, someone can draw inspiration for art from voices , and some even experience musical hallucinations - something like vivid auditory images - but scientists still doubt whether they can be equated with hallucinations.

Unanswered questions

Science currently does not have a clear answer to the question of what happens in the brain when a person hears voices. Another problem is that researchers don't yet know why people perceive them as foreign, coming from an external source. It is important to try to understand the phenomenological aspect of what exactly people experience when they hear a voice. For example, when tired or on stimulants, they may experience hallucinations, but not necessarily perceive them as coming from outside. The question is why do people lose the sense of their own activity when they hear voices. Even if we assume that the cause of auditory hallucinations is the excessive activity of the auditory cortex, why do people still think that God, a secret agent or an alien is talking to them? It is also important to study the belief systems that people build around their voices.

The content of auditory hallucinations and their source is another problem: do these voices come from inner speech or are they stored memories? What is certain is that this sensory experience involves activation of the auditory cortex in the speech and language areas. This does not tell us anything about the emotional content of these messages, which are often negative, which, in turn, implies that the reason may also be problems in processing emotional information that arise in the brain. In addition, two people can experience hallucinations very differently, which means that the brain mechanisms involved can also be very different.

If a person hears voices that other people next to him do not hear, then he has voice hallucinations. In fact, the threshold of susceptibility may vary from person to person. Therefore, only such a phenomenon can be called a hallucination, which has no confirmation of existence outside the human consciousness. Another phenomenon of special perception, the mystery of which has yet to be solved, is musical hallucinations.

Varieties of auditory illusions

Auditory hallucinations are distinguished by the characteristic sound that a person can hear. There are simple and complex auditory illusions.

Simple illusions include staccato sounds, noises, or parts of words. Complex auditory hallucinations are perceived as musical melodies or speaking voices.

Musical hallucinations, melodies and songs familiar or completely unknown can serve as a source of inspiration for creative people. The most dangerous form of auditory illusions is when the voices in the patient's head obsessively order him to do something. Such people represent a social danger, because under the influence of audible voices they are capable of suicide and murder. There are times when the voices in the patient's head help him, urging him to do something reasonable, for example, seek help. In such cases, the mental illness is usually not recognized by the patient himself.

There are also pseudohallucinations, hallucinations in sleep and depression. Auditory pseudo-hallucinations are associated with the inner world of a person. Hearing voices are not perceived as coming from outside, they sound in the head, but the person hearing them considers this normal. Dream hallucinations are perhaps the most harmless of all the other types.

Dreams are also a kind of complex illusion, which can be accompanied by a sensation of smells, sounds, vivid visual images, etc. A completely healthy person can dream.

Depression resulting from trauma, organic disease in old age, or manic-depressive psychosis is also often the cause of auditory hallucinations.

A person who has lost someone from his family sometimes hears the voice of the deceased or even sees him in a dream. The same thing happens to a person who witnessed a tragedy in which there were human casualties.

Etiology, causes

The occurrence of auditory hallucinations can be due to many reasons. The simplest is intoxication of the body. Poisoning by certain substances (in particular, drugs, alcohol) causes manifestations of other mental disorders - confusion, delirium, affective disorders.

In people with mental illness, such as schizophrenia, auditory hallucinations are accompanied by structural and functional abnormalities in the activity of the brain.

This is confirmed by tomography. Deviations of mental activity in schizophrenia can be genetically determined.

The cause of auditory hallucinations may be dementia or neurocognitive disorders. These include:

The cause of auditory illusions may be hidden in the experienced violence. A traumatic effect on the psyche requires the intervention of a psychotherapist. Physical or sexual violence, leading to psychosis, has a devastating effect on the personality of the victim. In the head of the patient there are voices that order to harm themselves or others. The hallucinatory threatening voice is often associated with the voice of the abuser.

Symptoms of hallucinations that are not a consequence of a mental disorder

However, the nature of some auditory hallucinations is still unclear. Perfectly healthy children from 7 to 12 years old and elderly people can hear strange sounds that have no visible source. At the same time, mental functions remain normal, and in the future no mental abnormalities are observed. A clearly audible voice or musical hallucinations in such cases are due to a violation of the internalization of the inner voice.

Internalization or the process of mastering the external world by turning the observed phenomena into an internal regulator of mental activity is the reason for the formation of the inner voice. This process goes through four stages as the child gets older. The kid, mastering the speech heard from adults, repeats the words aloud in order to communicate with others. Thus, a dialogue appears - the first level of the formation of an inner voice.

The second level is the ability to make comments, the third is the ability to conduct an internal monologue, the fourth is the ability to think without having to put the thought into words in order to learn its meaning. Violation of the perception of the inner voice can occur when mixing or expanding perception. In such cases, a person perceives his inner voice as belonging to someone else, or cannot recognize that the voice in his head is his own thoughts that have passed to the first level of external dialogue.

Treatment involves the use of antipsychotic drugs. Talking to a psychologist is very helpful. The first step towards healing in such cases is to realize that the sounding voice is a figment of the imagination. This awareness returns a person to self-confidence and control over their actions, emotions and life.

Diagnostics and methods of therapy

Treatment of auditory hallucinations of various etiologies is carried out with the help of drugs, non-traditional methods and psychological influence. In some cases, therapies cannot help cure the mental disorders or diseases that caused the hallucinations, but are designed to alleviate the patient's condition. Antipsychotic drugs that affect the production of dopamine are the main treatment.

With affective disorders, antidepressants are used - drugs that improve mood, remove negative emotions in the form of anxiety, irritability, and insomnia. Since antiquity, tinctures of St. John's wort have been used as an antidepressant. St. John's wort-based preparations are also used in our time, they do not cause side effects after cancellation. It should be remembered that the use of antidepressants improves the quality of life, but is not a cure for the disease.

A method of psychological influence that has proven itself in the treatment of auditory hallucinations is cognitive psychotherapy. This method is different from the usual psychoanalysis. The task of a psychotherapist using cognitive psychotherapy is not only to listen to the patient, but also to teach him to think correctly, avoiding cognitive errors. If a person's thoughts and current events diverge greatly, this leads to mental illness. Having eliminated the cause of internal dissonance, the psychotherapist achieves a change in the perception and behavior of the patient.

Non-traditional methods of treatment and research include transcranial magnetic stimulation. The cerebral cortex is stimulated by short magnetic pulses that do not cause pain. When used together with drugs, such therapy in some cases has a positive effect in getting rid of auditory hallucinations. A contraindication to its use is the presence of metal foreign bodies in the patient, especially in the head, tumors, treatment with some antidepressants, epilepsy.

In ancient times, people considered auditory hallucinations to be demon possession or a sign of election from above. For modern psychotherapists who study the activity of the brain with the help of an encephalogram and tomography, everything seems to be much simpler.

Sound hallucinations occur during excitation of the area of ​​the brain responsible for speech production. That is, the internal dialogue of a person is perceived by him as someone else's voice. But how then to explain musical hallucinations or a special emotional state that accompanies these phenomena, which each person experiences differently? For psychologists and psychotherapists, there are more questions than answers.

Auditory hallucinations are one of the most common symptoms in mental and some types of somatic diseases: in this condition, the patient can hear voices, noises, sounds that do not exist in objective reality, as well as his own thoughts.

Etiology

Auditory hallucinations are often caused by diseases of the central nervous system. With tumor diseases of the brain in 75-80% of cases, various psychopathology occurs, the manifestations of which depend on the localization of the oncological process. Against the background of deafened consciousness and a decrease in cognitive functions, the patient may notice the appearance of auditory hallucinations when the tumor is located in the temporal lobe. Similar manifestations will occur during the formation of an epileptoid focus in this area.

In old age, auditory hallucinations are observed with senile dementia, the progression of Alzheimer's disease, various vascular diseases (atherosclerosis, circulatory failure of some parts of the brain).

In psychiatric practice, "voices in the head" occur with a significant number of diseases. First of all, this includes hallucinatory-delusional syndromes, schizophrenia, depressive states and bipolar affective disorder. The causes of these disorders have not yet been established.

Alcohol abuse is also a cause of auditory hallucinations, especially during delirium. Most often they are threatening, imposed in nature.

Manifestations

With auditory hallucinations, the patient hears various voices and sounds that are not in reality.

If the symptoms manifest themselves in the form of voices, meaningful phrases, words, then they are called phonemes. But if the patient hears sounds that do not actually exist (the sound of water, knocking, scratching, the sounds of music), then this type of hallucination is called acoasma.

Auditory hallucinations, like any other, are divided into true and false.

With true hallucinations, the patient hears sounds in the space around him and safely fits them into the real world. At the same time, patients are confident in their reality and do not question their veracity.

But false hallucinations occur in most cases inside the patient's body (voices in the head, stomach), are distinguished by obsession and a sense of accomplishment.

The most dangerous for the life of the patient and his relatives are imperative hallucinations, which are imperative in nature.

The patient in this case always takes the meaning of what was said by “voices” personally. It could be a ban or an order. At the same time, sometimes the message may be fundamentally different from the patient's intentions or characteristics of his character: to hit someone, kill, harm or injure himself. Patients with these symptoms require a special approach and careful monitoring. As a rule, the cause of such manifestations is schizophrenia.

Also, auditory hallucinations can be contrasting or antagonistic. They are expressed in the fact that the voices in the patient's head are "divided" into two groups that contradict each other.

Sometimes mentally healthy people can hear non-existent sounds during the transition from sleep to wakefulness or when falling asleep. This is called hypnagogic hallucinations and is explained by the fact that the person's consciousness is slowly turned off and passes the reins of power to the subconscious.

Diagnostics

Auditory hallucinations are only a symptom of the underlying disease. Therefore, the doctor needs to find out the cause of their occurrence.

In all cases, you should start with the collection of anamnesis. Sometimes this is quite difficult to do, because the patient may not remain critical of what is happening, he may see the enemy in his attending physician and not admit his disorder. In such situations, family members can be interviewed.

To exclude organic pathology, a number of laboratory and instrumental studies should be carried out. These include blood, urine and cerebrospinal fluid tests, computed and magnetic resonance imaging, and an electroencephalogram.

If an elderly patient who uses a hearing aid complained of hearing anomalies, then the problem should be diagnosed with an electronic device. Sometimes it happens that the device fails or interferes.

If auditory hallucinations are a manifestation of mental pathology, then the clinical diagnosis is made on the basis of the existing positive and negative symptoms.

The doctor can guess the presence of auditory hallucinations and illusions by the specific behavior of the patient. He can listen to something, keep his head half-turned, pause before answering the question. When talking with such a patient, the psychiatrist must build the most trusting relationship in order to get a complete picture of the disease.

Therapy Methods

There is no specific treatment for auditory hallucinations. Since this is just a symptom of the underlying pathological condition, then the methods of therapy are aimed at eliminating it or stopping its manifestations.

All patients are hospitalized in a specialized department. Treatment is selected individually and in the acute stage is taken under the supervision of the attending physician. You should not self-medicate, especially follow the advice of people who are in no way connected with medicine. This can lead to detrimental consequences.

In psychiatric practice, auditory hallucinations most often accompany various forms of schizophrenia. In this case, antipsychotic drugs are prescribed, the long-term and systematic use of which can reduce the likelihood of relapse.

If hallucinations are caused by taking medications (anticonvulsants, antimigraine and others), then the attending physician should adjust their dosage or prescribe a more acceptable analogue.

Auditory hallucinations are considered one of the most common symptoms of various mental and somatic diseases. The patient clearly hears sounds, noises or voices that do not actually exist. Despite the seeming harmlessness of this phenomenon, auditory illusions can cause a lot of problems for the patient, cause many unpleasant situations and even aggressive behavior.

Note! Auditory hallucinations can be categorized as subjective sounds. They are heard only by the patient, which makes it very difficult to diagnose and treat this disease.

Types of auditory hallucinations

There are several types of extraneous sounds that spontaneously appear in the mind of the patient:

• tinnitus. Standard sound effects resembling buzzing, clicking, whistling, ringing, etc.
• Acoasma. More specific sounds: creaking, drops, music, etc.
• Phonemes. The most dangerous hallucinations that can carry a certain semantic load and directly affect a person's behavior. These can be individual words, phrases or voices, which clearly indicates mental problems.

In addition, any illusions (including acoustic ones) are usually divided into true and false:

True hallucinations occur when a person hears all kinds of non-existent sounds in the surrounding space and tries to organically fit them into his worldview. The patient is completely sure of the reality of these sounds and never questions them.

hallucinations false most often for the patient come from within. Moreover, the sounds are not always heard in the human head. Obsessive and commanding voices can come from the abdomen, chest, and any other place on the body. Such illusions are considered the most dangerous for the life of the patient and the people around him.

Reasons for the appearance

In order to correctly diagnose the type of anomaly and determine approaches to its elimination, it is necessary to understand the causes of auditory illusions as clearly as possible. Various factors can provoke this phenomenon:

• strong overwork, nervous or physical exhaustion. Overvoltage can cause disruptions in the normal functioning of the brain and changes in human consciousness.
• Feverish conditions, heat. They can cause disturbances in certain systems of the body. In some cases, this manifests itself in the form of auditory or visual illusions.
• Tumors in the region of the brain. A neoplasm can put pressure on certain areas of the auditory system or brain.
• Mental disorders: schizophrenia, psychopathy, various syndromes.
• Ear diseases, inflammatory processes and even sulfuric plugs may well disrupt the operation of the sound-conducting channels and cause extraneous noise.
• Malfunctions of electronic hearing aids. The most harmless cause, which is eliminated by replacing or repairing the device.
• Use of psychotropic substances. Drug addiction or treatment with certain drugs can affect a person's brain activity in a similar way.
• Alcohol abuse. Delirium tremens attacks often result in visual or acoustic hallucinations.

When falling asleep

Oddly enough, but when falling asleep, auditory hallucinations disturb patients most often. It would seem that the body, tired during the day, is as relaxed as possible and is preparing to get a long-awaited rest, but it was not there. A person begins to hear non-existent sounds or voices.

In medicine, such hallucinations have a separate name - hypnagogic. Their main danger lies in the fact that at the time of their appearance, the patient, as a rule, is alone and in complete silence. The absence of distractions makes a person more vulnerable and unable to resist the voices giving orders to him.

Symptoms and signs of auditory hallucinations

The loudness of acoustic illusions depends on their variety and the nature of the patient. Sometimes the patient hears a barely perceptible whisper, at other times loud orders that are almost impossible to resist. In the latter case, the patient most likely develops one of the varieties of schizophrenia.

Sometimes the patient hears voices, but is not the subject of their discussion. He, as if from the outside, hears the conversation of two or more non-existent people on abstract topics. Such hallucinations are considered quite harmless, although they cause a lot of inconvenience to both the patient himself and those around him.

Violations are considered more dangerous when the patient hears voices repeating his own thoughts and beliefs. At the same time, it seems to the patient that these thoughts (often very intimate and impartial) are heard by everyone around. This can lead to aggression.

Note! In some cases, auditory hallucinations can be confused with manifestations of the "inner voice" or actual tinnitus, which are the result of various diseases.

Diagnostics

Auditory hallucinations are not an independent disease, but only a symptom of another disease. The doctor will begin the diagnosis without fail with the collection of an anamnesis. This can be quite difficult to do, since the patient can be extremely negative and skeptical about his pathological condition. If the patient does not want to make contact with the doctor, you can try to interview the next of kin.

To exclude the organic nature of the pathology will be assigned laboratory tests of urine, blood, spinal cord. Elderly patients using hearing amplification devices should additionally check the correct operation of the electronic device.

The presence of acoustic hallucinations can be guessed from the specific behavior of a person. The patient may hesitate to answer, obviously listen to something. When talking with such a patient, the doctor should try to win him over as much as possible and establish a trusting relationship.

Treatment of auditory hallucinations with homeopathy

Along with traditional medicine, modern homeopathy can offer a number of drugs that can help eliminate such an unpleasant, and sometimes life-threatening and health-threatening disease for the patient:

• Elaps(Elaps). It is indicated for extraneous noises, clicks, unbearable itching in the ears. It will help eliminate bouts of deafness at night, accompanied by crackling and roaring in the ears.
• Curare(Curare). Helps eliminate whistling or ringing noises, sounds that resemble animal cries.
• Valerian(Valerian). The drug is recommended for patients who have tinnitus, acoustic illusions, hyperesthesia (increased sensitivity of the senses).
• Eupatorium purpuraeum(Eupatorium purpureum). It is effective for various kinds of auditory hallucinations, sensations of constant stuffiness in the ears, crackles when swallowing.
• Galvanism(Galvanism). Suitable for patients who hear the sounds of shots, explosions, the playing of a brass band, the sound of bells.
• Anacardium(Anacardium). The drug helps patients who imagine voices imposing strange orders or whispering blasphemy.
• Carboneum Sulfuratum(Carboneum sulphuratum). It will help eliminate burning in the ears, singing voices or sounds of a harp.

Refer to qualified specialists who are able to choose the most suitable drug for your clinical case, and prescribe the correct dosage and course of administration.