How to treat hallucinations in an old person. Pills for hallucinations. hallucinations in children

Hallucinations in the elderly can occur under a variety of circumstances. Most often, various psychopathological syndromes, as well as diseases that affect the psyche, lead to the appearance of this disorder. But the list of provoking factors is not limited to mental illness alone.

For example, auditory, visual, tactile and other hallucinations often occur after strokes, metabolic pathologies, in the presence of diseases of the neuropsychic sphere, etc.

After reviewing the information below, you will get a complete understanding of hallucinations, as well as learn what to do if they are detected and what treatment can be taken to combat the pathology in question.

Classification of hallucinations

Before understanding what to do with a patient if he has hallucinations and what treatment can be taken by qualified specialists, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the description of this deviation and its most common forms.

Changes in the subjective perception of reality are classified into 2 large groups: pseudohallucinations and true hallucinations. The latter are further subdivided into the following categories:

• spontaneous - appear in the absence of external stimuli;
• reflex - can be noted in any of the analyzers when stimulating another perceiving organ;
• functional - appear when the corresponding analyzer is affected, but are perceived by patients in a distorted form.

In accordance with which particular analyzer is subject to pathological effects, hallucinations are classified into the following subgroups:

• auditory;
• visual;
• taste;
• tactile;
• vestibular, etc.

In accordance with the average statistical data, auditory and visual hallucinations are most widespread. In the first case, the patient either hears existing sounds in a distorted form, or hears something that does not exist, up to the voices of deceased relatives, "evil spirits", etc. usually appear as flashes of light and geometric shapes, but can "evolve" into more complex forms: people, animals, mythical creatures etc.

Non-disease causes of hallucinations

Auditory, visual and other groups of hallucinations can occur both as a result of various diseases, and against the background of other provoking factors. In the second case, the main causes of hallucinations are as follows:

• taking various hallucinogens;
• taking medications with appropriate side effects(some sulfonamides, antivirals, antibiotics, anticonvulsants, hypotensive, psychostimulant, tranquilizers, anti-tuberculosis and other drugs can cause predominantly visual, auditory and tactile hallucinations);
• social and sensory isolation;
• taking drugs with psychodysleptic properties;
• disruption of sleep and wakefulness.

Causes of hallucinations associated with diseases

Hallucinations in elderly people often develop against the background of various diseases. The nature of the manifestation of deviations, in this case, will depend on the characteristics of the underlying ailment.
First of all, hallucinations appear in the presence of diseases from the list below.

1. Pathologies of a mental nature. Among the most common are schizophrenia, epilepsy, infectious psychoses.
2. Severe intoxication.
3. Organic brain damage. In particular, hallucinations often occur during the development of tumor processes.

A characteristic impetus for specifically senile hallucinations is delirium. No less often, the reason lies in somatic diseases and violation of the rules for taking psychoactive substances and other drugs that can lead to the onset of psychosis.

Chronic persistent hallucinations are most characteristic of the chronic form of schizophrenia and psychoses that occur as a complication, chronic somatic pathologies and other diseases of a similar genesis.

Often hallucinations are noted in patients with the disease. According to average statistics, up to 60% of patients experience psychotic disorders varying degrees of expression. Various external influences can lead to the appearance of disorders, as well as internal disorders, for example, a neurodegenerative process that affects cells that are involved in the production of dopamine.

Many of the drugs used to treat Parkinson's disease can lead to psychotic disorders if taken incorrectly. When treating hallucinations in the case of patients suffering from Parkinson's disease, one must not forget that the elderly are especially sensitive to the effects of antipsychotic drugs. In the case of such patients, clozapine and cholinesterase inhibitors are usually used for their treatment. The drugs of these groups lead to the restoration of the state of the psyche and cognitive functions.

Among the additional factors that can provoke the occurrence of hallucinations in elderly patients, the following provisions should be noted:

• damage to the temporal, frontal and other parts of the brain that occurred against the background of age-related changes;
• neurochemical disorders caused by aging;
• isolation from society;
• pathology of the sense organs;
• violations of the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic nature, provoked by age-related changes;
• polypharmacy.

How hallucinations are treated: basic principles

Important! If hallucinations occur in any of your relatives and friends, before qualified treatment is started, make every effort to ensure the safety of the patient and those around him.

Often, patients with hallucinations perform actions that are dangerous both for them and for people nearby.

Treatment of acute hallucinations is unconditionally carried out in a hospital. Previously, the patient is examined by a neurologist, narcologist and, of course, a psychiatrist. The list of consultations and related examinations may vary depending on the individual characteristics of a particular case.

The order of treatment of hallucinations is also determined taking into account the patient's condition. Elderly people undergo therapy aimed at eliminating the causes that prompted the appearance of hallucinations. If the latter are caused by any disease, its treatment is carried out in parallel.

Usually, antipsychotics and antipsychotic drugs are used to treat hallucinations in the elderly. Taking these can cause the following side effects:

• extrapyramidal disorders. These include, first of all, dyskinesia, as well as dystonia;
• effects of the anticholinergic type;
• violations of the processes of defecation and urination;
• postural hypotension;
• hypersalivation;
• changes in the function of the liver, organs gastrointestinal tract, digestive system;
• rapid weight gain;
• dysfunction of the pancreas, up to pancreatic necrosis and acute pancreatitis.

Based on the foregoing, we can conclude that the treatment of hallucinations in patients of advanced age should be carried out exclusively by a qualified specialist.

The doctor conducts the necessary examinations and draws up a program specifically for the patient, taking into account the individual characteristics of his condition.

Additionally, drugs from the group of detoxifiers, tranquilizers and sedatives can be used to treat hallucinations. During remission, patients are usually recommended cognitive-behavioral and psychosocial therapy.

Forecasts and prevention

The appearance of hallucinations against the background of an already existing disease indicates a complication of the course of the latter. The prognosis worsens in the following cases:

• if true visual hallucinations are replaced by visual pseudo-hallucinations;
• if visual hallucinations are replaced by pseudo-hallucinations of a verbal nature;
• if hallucinoids are replaced by functional, pseudo- and / or true hallucinations;
• if hallucinations of an episodic nature become continuous;
• if the hallucinations of the imagination are replaced by verbal hallucinations.

The change of these disorders in the reverse order indicates an improvement in the clinical picture.
Preventive recommendations are reduced to the timely treatment of diseases that can lead to hallucinations, as well as to the observance of the rules of mental hygiene.

Remember: it is impossible to explain to a patient with hallucinations that he has this problem - a person loses the ability to critically assess his condition and may simply not be aware of the seriousness of the actions taken

If you find unusual changes in condition and behavior loved one, contact the staff of the psychiatric department - if there are appropriate grounds, doctors of this specialization can hospitalize patients even without their consent, especially if the patient was previously registered.

Respond in a timely manner to adverse health changes, follow medical recommendations and be healthy!

Hallucinations are called the property of a person to see phenomena that are not in reality. If, in addition to the hallucinating person, another person turns his attention to the same place, then he will not see the same thing there as the previous one. Thus, seeing what is not really there is a violation.

Often they are signs of mental illness. However, there are also healthy people, whose brain is simply gradually destroyed, creating certain dysfunctions in the perception of sight, hearing or tactile touch of the world around.

In older people, this phenomenon is associated with the degradation of the substance of the brain, resulting in various mental phenomena:

1. Hallucinosis Bonnet in combination with visual and hearing impairments;
2. Hallucinosis of the paranoid state;
3. Hallucinosis as a symptom of mental illness;
4. Tactile hallucinosis.

We will consider them in more detail in the article of the online magazine site. Which of these types are found in older people?

hallucinosis bonnet

Hallucinosis Bonnet occurs against the background of a decrease in visual or auditory perception. There are no mental disorders here. Elderly people lose their receptor functions, which causes phenomena that resemble hallucinatory ones.

So, against the background of visual loss, some points gradually begin to appear. Incomprehensible visions begin to take concrete forms. An elderly person can see dead relatives, his children, nature. At the same time, he can understand that what he sees is not true. But at some stage, he begins to get involved in his visual hallucinosis, because of which critical thinking is turned off. He begins to prepare for the arrival of guests, to see someone next to him.

Visual hallucinations also begin with the appearance of incomprehensible sounds, over time acquiring quite definite forms. Usually there are hallucinations of negative content - insults, condemnation, criticism. A person hears voices that constantly say something to him in an ordering tone.

There is some weakening after the onset of hallucinosis. Visual and auditory images become rare, which allows the elderly person to understand that they are unreal.

Tactile hallucinosis

Sometimes this species hallucinosis is combined with a hypochondriacal disorder, when it seems to a person that he is terminally ill. In this case, he begins to use various traditional and folk methods your treatment.

Over time, the symptom may subside, but sometimes the process becomes progressive.

paranoid hallucinosis

Paranoid hallucinosis is characterized by old man starts to ramble. Everywhere he sees conspiracies, persecution, a desire to poison him. The main participants in this nonsense are relatives and friends. In combination with auditory and gustatory hallucinations, when a person begins to hear voices that set him up for delirium, and taste food that is unpleasant to him, this makes the image more fantastic. Here there is a violation of thinking and loss of memory.

Hallucinosis as a symptom of mental illness

Often, older people become mentally ill, which causes them to develop various visual and auditory disorders. Hallucinoses in this case become symptoms of mental illness that were detected at an earlier age or were not detected at all, but were clearly manifested in the elderly.

Treatment

Treatment of hallucinosis in the elderly begins with the fact that the cause of their occurrence is revealed. If we are talking about the destruction of the substance of the brain, then here psychological help need not. Antipsychotics and tranquilizers will help calm all symptoms. However, if a different nature of visual and auditory phenomena is detected, it is necessary to seek qualified help.

From this article you will learn:

What are hallucinations in older people?

Why are hallucinations dangerous in older people?

Can hallucinations in the elderly be cured?

Are there home treatments for hallucinations or does it need to be done in a hospital?

Aging is a natural process, accompanied by changes on the physical and mental level, as well as hormonal disorders. Elderly people constantly complain about diseases, wrinkles, loss of energy and the inability to do the work that they used to do. It is much harder for pensioners than for young people to keep fit and exercise, but even if they try to do this, they are still not immune from the development of mental disorders. This article aims to explain why hallucinations occur in the elderly, what forms they manifest themselves in and whether they can be prevented.

What are hallucinations in older people?

Hallucinations are manifestations of an abnormal perception of reality. They are expressed in the form of any sensations and images that arise arbitrarily without previous exposure to any stimulus and become for people an objective reflection of reality.

Hallucinations in the elderly are part of the majority of mental impairment syndromes and are a symptom of many diseases. This symptom is also very common after ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes, in diseases associated with various types exchange.

The mechanism of the appearance of hallucinations in the elderly has not only not yet been fully elucidated, but it can be said for sure that their development is based on pathological changes in the brain structures responsible for the perception of stimuli and the formation of an adequate response to them.

There are two main types of hallucinations: true and pseudo hallucinations. The first type is characterized by the fact that such hallucinations are perceived as realistically as possible, and it seems to people that they perceive them with the help of the senses. The second type of hallucinations, they are also called false, lack this characteristic, and the resulting visions are transmitted directly to the brain. True hallucinations, in turn, are also divided into a number of groups:

Spontaneous. They appear without any impact on the receptors of the human senses.

Functional. They develop under the influence of various stimuli on sensitive endings.

Reflex. They arise when a stimulus is exposed to any one perceiving apparatus, but are regarded as stimulation of another sense organ. For example, when exposed to noise, the patient observes some kind of visual image.

Hallucinations in the elderly are usually visual, olfactory, and vestibular, but other types may occur. Usually they go in combination with a distortion of taste sensations, impaired hearing and superficial sensitivity.

Causes hallucinations in the elderly are very different:

Tumor-like growths in the brain.

chronic intoxication.

Various infectious diseases.

Side effects of medications.

Sleep disorders.

Prolonged isolation from the social environment.

Epilepsy.

Schizophrenia.

Other pathological changes in the psyche.

The frequency of occurrence and the degree of intensity of hallucinations in the elderly depends on the course of the underlying disease. Hallucinations appear due to delirium, paranoia, taking any psychoactive drugs. Senile hallucinations, as a rule, have a stable character, especially in psychoses and schizophrenia. Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, dementia can also become their cause. Can lead to the development of hallucinations in the elderly vascular pathologies such as atherosclerosis or hypertension.

The evidence that the vascular symptom complex is the basis of the disorders can be considered:

Wavy course of seizures.

Combination pathological changes memory and incontinence.

The impression of serious brain disorders.

Vascular diseases in most cases lead to brain damage, which is expressed in the attenuation of cognitive functions, changes in the nature and behavior of a person. These transformations can grow slowly, but psychosis can also occur, which is based on damage to the vessels of the brain. The fading of cognitive functions also has an effect on hallucinations, which at the same time become less realistic and vivid.

At atherosclerotic damage to the cerebral arteries in the elderly, it is also possible to develop a hallucinatory-delusional syndrome. There are also endomorphic psychoses of vascular origin, in particular, chronic verbal hallucinosis, which is characterized by the appearance of hallucinations in the late evening or at night. Hallucinations are also isolated, the development of which is associated with hormonal pathology. For example, they can be found in thyrotoxicosis. In addition to all of the above, hallucinations also appear with infectious diseases such as syphilis or herpes.

Elderly people often complain about the deterioration of the work of analyzers, especially visual and auditory. It is worth noting that even completely blind people are able to see hallucinations. IN medical practice this phenomenon is called Charles Bonnet syndrome in honor of the author who first described it from the words of his grandfather. People who have severe visual impairment are able to see both simple geometric shapes and human faces.

Usually, older people understand that hallucinations are unrealistic, but they often keep silent about them so that others do not consider them crazy. In fact, the main reason for the appearance of hallucinations in this case is that with the loss of visual and auditory sensations, the corresponding areas of the cerebral cortex do not receive signals from the outside. In these parts of the brain, impulses begin to spontaneously generate, creating various visual and auditory images.

Auditory hallucinations in older people occur more often than others. Patients wake up at night from suspicious noises and rustles, they can even hear clear words and phrases. Such people constantly imagine that the neighbors are always talking loudly or quarreling, but in fact they may not even be at home. Some hallucinations are so vivid that patients hear several different voices that condemn people for their actions in the past. Such strong hallucinations can drive a person to suicide.

There are also such hallucinations in the elderly, when an invisible interlocutor forces them to injure themselves or loved ones, or scares them by telling that they want to kill the patient in a dream, cripple or take away property. As a rule, such hallucinations occur in those who suffer from extremely severe mental disorders.

The second most common in the elderly are visual hallucinations. Patients observe light flashes, silhouettes of people and animals, various mythical and magical creatures. Sometimes patients talk about being chased by aliens or even doppelgangers. In the eyes of an elderly person, whole ideas are unfolding that are so realistic that the patient does not even have the thought that in fact all this is not there.

Auditory and visual illusions are often combined with olfactory and gustatory. In the first situation, older people periodically or constantly experience strange or even unpleasant odors. For example, an elderly woman often imagines that the scent of her late husband's cologne hovers in the apartment, and she firmly believes that it was his spirit who decided to visit her.

In the case of taste hallucinations, patients refuse to eat due to a perversion of taste sensations. Food seems to them either too salty or too bitter. Patients who are extremely quick-tempered can even throw a plate of food off the table, as it may seem to them at any moment that they are being poisoned. In some cases, hallucinations in the elderly can be the main cause of a panic attack or paranoid attack.

There are also tactile hallucinations. Older people may wake up at night due to the fact that it begins to seem to them that someone is walking on a blanket or bed. Such patients feel touches that frighten them. They can feel the breath of beings on their skin. underworld. Elderly people suffering tactile hallucinations, are convinced that gas bubbles explode in their intestines, and electrical discharges pierce their limbs. Sometimes it seems to patients that various insects scurry about their body, and worms crawl under the skin.

Such elderly people often have sleep disturbances, they toss and turn for a long time at night and cannot fall asleep, they try to sleep in the daytime.

Old people who are tormented by hallucinations may become lethargic or extremely short-tempered and explosive. Many of them hide their visions, but at the same time they complain of pain of various localization and lack of appetite. Hallucinations in the elderly can lead to the fact that they are able to sit for hours, staring at one point, talking to themselves. Some patients become extremely conflicted, blame all the people around them for their problems, most often the next of kin get it.

Psychologists are convinced that it is impossible to fully cure hallucinations in the elderly at this stage in the development of medicine. And in the future, this will not be easy to do, because most of the diseases that affect the elderly are caused by irreversible changes in the body. Now the main goal of therapy is to identify the main causes of hallucinations and act on them with the help of drugs.

How to treat hallucinations in the elderly

Is it possible to treat illusions exclusively at home? Of course not. The patient needs to as soon as possible take them to see a psychiatrist or neurologist, even when the patient appears calm and harmless. This phenomenon is inconsistent, and at any second he can become aggressive and harm himself or those around him. Relatives are also advised to consult with a specialist so that he can suggest how best to behave with a sick person.

It is worth remembering that the doctor is not entitled to prescribe a cure for hallucinations to the elderly until he personally sees and examines the patient. Before meeting with the patient, the specialist will only be able to teach you how to properly behave with him, and also prompt competent words so that you can persuade the old man to go to see a psychiatrist.

And what to do in those cases when an elderly person becomes violent and begins to rush at others? Immediately call the police and a team of medical personnel who can subdue the rebel and take him to the hospital.

The doctor should not only talk with an elderly person, but also conduct a comprehensive examination of the whole body in order to exclude the presence of an infectious disease, intoxication or malignant neoplasm. For this purpose, the patient should be given general blood and urine tests, computed and magnetic resonance imaging.

In order to make the most of effective treatment hallucinations, doctors should be aware of all the diseases that the patient suffers from. Relatives need to carefully monitor elderly patients, their behavior and health. After all, the sooner suspicious symptoms are noticed, the sooner treatment will be prescribed and the greater the chances of recovery.

It is worthwhile to understand that others are unlikely to be able to convince an elderly person that all his visions are unreal. Hallucinations draw the patient in to such an extent that he completely denies the fact of their implausibility. Elderly people suffering from this disease are prescribed drugs from the groups of antipsychotics, tranquilizers and sedatives. Hallucinations that appeared due to intoxication with drugs and alcohol are eliminated by cleansing procedures. In their process, toxic substances are eliminated from the body, and then rehabilitation therapy is prescribed.

Relief of seizures is carried out in stationary conditions, but further care and monitoring of the elderly is carried out by relatives. What should be done to prevent or at least delay the onset of new attacks? It is necessary to carefully protect the patient from stressful situations, make sure that he takes medication in a timely manner and goes to see a doctor. Psychosocial and behavioral therapy can prolong the period of remission.

In rare cases, hallucinations in older people may go away. In order for them not to pursue an elderly person regularly, it is necessary to contact and strictly observe all medical prescriptions as soon as possible. Only in this situation, therapy will have a positive effect and the patient will again be able to become a full-fledged member of society.

The treatment of hallucinations in the elderly must be carried out with extreme caution and under constant supervision. Relief of seizures is carried out with the help of neuroleptics, and motor excitation is removed with drugs from the group of tranquilizers. When choosing medications and their dosage, the doctor must take into account the individual tolerance of the patient, his sensitivity, as well as the presence of concomitant ailments. It should also, if possible, correct the vision and hearing of an elderly person.

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Hallucinations refer to pathological perception, which manifests itself in the form of certain images or sensations that arise spontaneously without the influence of a real stimulus or object, acquiring the character of objective reality for a sick person.

Hallucinations in the elderly are integral part many psychopathological syndromes and accompany various mental illness. In addition, hallucinations after a stroke, with metabolic pathologies and disorders in the neuropsychic sphere are quite common. The mechanism of the development of hallucinations is not fully understood, but it is clearly known that their occurrence is based on the pathology of those brain structures that are responsible for the perception of stimuli of the surrounding world and the formation of a response to them.

Classification of hallucinations

Hallucinations in the elderly in relation to subjective reality are divided into true and pseudo hallucinations. True hallucinations are:

• spontaneous - occur without any stimulus;
• reflex - arise in one analyzer with real irritation of the other;
• functional - arise when the corresponding analyzer is irritated, but are perceived by patients in a curved form.

Depending on the analyzer in which pathological perception occurs, hallucinations are divided into visual, olfactory, hearing, taste and tactile sensitivity, vestibular and others. It is worth noting that auditory and visual hallucinations most often occur, which are manifested by geometric shapes, photomamas (light flashes) or more complex forms (patients can see fantastic creatures, various objects, people, plants and animals).

What are the causes of the disease in elderly patients?

The appearance of any hallucinations indicates a significant impairment of mental activity, which can develop with:

• various mental pathologies, such as epilepsy or schizophrenia;
• psychosis of infectious origin;
• hallucinations against the background of acute or chronic intoxication;
• with organic brain damage, especially in the presence of tumors;
• when exposed to hallucinogens;
• when taking certain medicines (some antibacterial and antiviral drugs, sulfonamides, drugs used to treat tuberculosis, anticonvulsants, antihistamines and antihypertensive drugs, psychostimulants, tranquilizers and many others);
• with sensory and social isolation;
• temporary visual hallucinations in the elderly may be determined by the use of drugs with psychodysleptic properties;
• with violations in the mechanism of alternating sleep and periods of wakefulness.

It should be noted that psychopathological symptoms among elderly patients are observed in various conditions. The clinical manifestations of these disorders depend on the underlying disease.

The acute onset of senile hallucinations is characteristic of delirium, it can also develop with various somatic diseases, as well as with the abuse of psychoactive substances or when taking certain drugs that can cause psychosis. The chronic course of hallucinations and their persistent nature is characteristic of chronic schizophrenia, as well as for psychoses that develop against the background of chronic somatic pathology or Alzheimer's disease.

In addition, hallucinations are often observed in Parkinson's disease. Thus, approximately 20-60% of patients develop psychotic disorders. In most cases, they are caused by external influences, although they can also occur with internal disorders, for example, during the development of a neurodegenerative process that develops in the nerve cells responsible for the synthesis of dopamine.

It is worth noting that most antiparkinsonian drugs, if taken incorrectly, can cause the development of psychotic symptoms. When treating hallucinations that develop against the background of Parkinson's disease, it must be remembered that people of advanced age have an increased sensitivity to antipsychotic drugs. In this case, clozapine becomes the drug of choice in most cases.

In addition, cholinesterase inhibitors can be used, which lead to a reduction in psychotic symptoms and improve cognitive functions in this pathology. It is worth noting that there are a number of factors that increase the likelihood of hallucinations in old age:

• damage to the cerebral cortex in the frontal or temporal region, which are caused by age-related changes;
• neurochemical disorders associated with the aging process;
• social isolation of the elderly;
• insufficiency of the sense organs;
• pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic age-related disorders;
• polypharmacy, which can also cause hallucinations in the elderly.

Principles of elimination of hallucinations

If a grandparent is hallucinating, it is important to ensure the safety of both the patient and others in the pre-hospital setting, as often the behavior of people with hallucinations involves dangerous activities that can cause significant injury.
Acute manifestations of hallucinations must necessarily be eliminated in a hospital setting. For a thorough examination of the patient, an examination by a neurologist, psychiatrist, narcologist and oncologist is needed.

How to treat hallucinations should be determined in individually. For elderly patients, the treatment of hallucinations should be carried out taking into account the etiology of their occurrence and with parallel therapy of the underlying disease. The most commonly prescribed are antipsychotics and neuroleptics. When they are received, the following side effects:

• extrapyramidal disorders - dystonia, dyskinesia, akathisia;
• anticholinergic effects, which include dry mouth, difficulty urinating, and constipation;
• hypersalivation;
• postural hypotension;
• changes in the digestive system and liver;
• an increase in body weight and a violation of the pancreas, which can provoke the occurrence of acute pancreatitis and pancreatic necrosis.

That is why hallucinations in the elderly should be treated under the supervision of a doctor with strict adherence to the prescribed dosage. With hallucinogenic syndrome, the use of sedatives and tranquilizers, detoxification drugs is also indicated. After subsiding of acute manifestations, psychosocial and cognitive-behavioral therapy is indicated.

Any attempts to explain to the patient that he has become a victim of hallucinations do not bring any positive effect - the person completely lacks a critical attitude towards his condition, and he is not aware of the perniciousness of these phenomena. That is why, if hallucinations occur in elderly patients, they can be hospitalized in a psychiatric department without their consent, only with the direction of a doctor who monitors him constantly or at the time of an attack.

Hallucinations are understood as a pathological perception by a person of phenomena that do not actually exist. Almost always they signal a mental deviation. In this article, we will detail what to do if hallucinations occur in the elderly.

general information

Hallucinations in older people can be:

• reflex;
• spontaneous;
• functional.

Spontaneous hallucinations occur without visible reasons. Specific processes take place in the brain that affect the organs of vision and hearing.

Against the background of stimulation of another organ, reflex disorders occur. With a direct impact on the analyzer, functional hallucinations appear.

The main types of hallucinations

The table shows the main types of disorders.

Table 1. What are the hallucinations?

Type of disorder	Description
	They can be elementary and subject. In the first case, a person "sees" flashes of light, geometric shapes or fog, in the second - animals or "inhabitants" of another world.
	They can be elementary and verbal. In the first case, the patient "hears" various sounds, noises, voices. Verbal auditory hallucinations can be threatening, commentary, or imperative.
	May overlap with olfactory illusions. The patient sees disgusting smells - garbage cans, a decaying body, excrement. This contributes to loss of appetite.
	Often combined with olfactory illusions. It seems to the patient that there is a smell of rot in the mouth.
	They can be hygric, thermal, haptic. More often people think that they have insects crawling on or under their skin. This condition is called external zoopathy.

Common Causes of Illusions

The main causes of senile hallucinations are presented in the diagram.

Taking medicines

The risk of illusions occurs against the background of the following drugs that cause side effects:

• sulfonamides;
• antiviral drugs;
• antibiotics;
• anticonvulsants;
• antihypertensive drugs;
• psychostimulant drugs

Note! These medicines cause auditory, tactile and visual hallucinations.

Pathological causes

The incidence of pathological causes that can cause hallucinations is shown in the diagram.

Diseases-root causes

Hallucinations in the elderly can be caused by severe mental pathologies.

Table 2. Diseases-root causes.

Cause	Description
	Illusions appear against the background of a violation of the drug regimen.
	The provocateur of hallucinations is a neurodegenerative process. It affects the cells that are responsible for producing dopamine.
	Disorders are chronic stable.

Other reasons

The incidence of other causes of hallucinations in the elderly is shown in the diagram.

Forms of hallucinations in the elderly

The table shows the main forms of senile hallucinations.

This condition is accompanied by the delirium of a hypochondriac. A person is convinced that he suffers from an incurable disease.

60-65 years old. At first, there are minor paranoid signs. The person claims that he is about to be attacked by relatives or neighbors. Over time, the patient clearly “hears” voices that confirm his guesses.

In the most severe cases, hallucinations become schizophrenic-like. It seems to a person that someone else controls his thoughts.

Visions before death

Against the background of a sudden death, there are no visions.

Most people "are":

• angels;
• demons;
• souls of deceased relatives.

Sometimes a person begins to look around in fear, scream loudly, and after a while calms down. Answering questions from relatives, he says that he first saw terrible devils, and then angels.

If an elderly person experienced excruciating pain, then after visions his mood is transformed. In almost 100% of cases, pain disappears.

What should be done?

The instruction for the appearance of a hallucination in an elderly person is as follows:

1. Distract the patient. You can do this by changing the subject of the conversation or inviting him to move to another place. This method is effective for mild hallucinations.
2. Try to persuade him to seek medical help. It is desirable to do this after the disappearance of illusions. It is important not to take the "position of the prosecutor" and not to exert strong pressure on the patient.
3. If the patient is very worried, you can give him a sedative, which has a mild effect. It can be codeine, motherwort tincture or valerian.
4. If severe symptoms of a physical nature appear, an ambulance should be called.

Note! With an exacerbation of hallucinations, there is a serious danger to the health of both the patient himself and those around him.

Which doctor should I contact?

Depending on the characteristics of the clinical picture, the doctor directs an appointment to:

• neurologist
• narcologist;
• psychiatrist;
• oncologist.

Features of treatment

The therapeutic principles are as follows:

1. If the hallucinations were provoked by alcohol or drugs cleaning procedures are being carried out. Substances that provoke intoxication are removed from the body. Then individual therapy is prescribed.
2. If hallucinations arose against the background of a particular disease, medication is prescribed.
3. After the attack is controlled, cognitive-behavioral therapy is prescribed.

An acute attack is stopped in a hospital setting. Then the patient is transferred to the hands of relatives.

What should not be done?

With hallucinations, it is categorically not recommended:

• underestimate their danger;
• leave an elderly person unattended;
• laugh at the patient's feelings;
• persistently convince the patient of the delusion of what is happening;
• discuss in detail the content of his visions.

Medical therapy

Drug treatment of hallucinations in the elderly is carried out with the help of:

• neuroleptics;
• tranquilizers;
• antidepressants;
• other drugs.

Note! Psychotropic drugs are prescribed taking into account general condition patient, the presence of chronic ailments and concomitant pathologies.

The use of neuroleptics

These are psychotropic drugs that eliminate psychological and neurological problems. They contribute:

• getting rid of hallucinatory-delusional syndrome;
• relieving muscle tension;
• improving the thought process.

The diagram shows the most effective antipsychotics.

The use of tranquilizers

Preparations of this group are prescribed if hallucinations are provoked by an increased anxiety state.

Tranquilizers contribute to the relief of:

• panic;
• anxiety;
• stress.

Also, drugs of this group weaken internal stress. There is no effect on cognitive processes.

Table 4. The most effective tranquilizers.

A drug	Description	Price
	Tranquilizer of the benzodiazepine series. It has anticonvulsant, nootropic and central muscle relaxant effect.	From 567 rubles.
	Has an anxiolytic effect. Helps to eliminate various forms of vegetative disorders. It has a moderate stimulating effect.	359 rubles.
	It has antiepileptic and central muscle relaxant effects. Does not cause extrapyramidal disorders.	258 rubles.

Use of antidepressants

The most effective antidepressants for hallucinations are presented in the diagram.

The use of other drugs

The table shows other drugs for hallucinations in the elderly.

Table 5. Taking other medicines.

Medication	Description	Price
	The drug helps to reduce the conditioned protective reflex. Enhances anti-anxiety effect, reduces delirium, hallucinations, relieves negative disorders.	2293 rubles.
	It is a derivative of butyrophenone. It has a powerful antipsychotic effect, blocks postsynaptic dopamine receptors in the mesolimbic and mesocortical structures of the brain.	44 rubles.
	A derivative of thioxanthene. It has a powerful sedative effect.	223 rubles.

Help of a psychotherapist

Patients are assigned to undergo cognitive-behavioral therapy. It examines and evaluates the sensations, feelings and thoughts of the patient. The main task of a specialist is to detect probable psychological reasons appearance of hallucinations.

The strategy developed by the doctor allows the patient to cope with the problem on his own and significantly reduce the symptoms.

After the end of the therapy session, the person learns to take responsibility for hallucinations, thereby taking them under control.

Self-help methods

The table shows the most effective methods self help.

Table 6. How can you help yourself?

Method	Description
	In the elderly, illusions are often combined with high temperature. The temperature is considered critical if it rises to 39-40 degrees. In this case, an emergency call to the doctor is required. Before the arrival of the brigade, it is recommended to take antipyretic medicine. by the most safe means are paracetamol, ibuprofen, acetaminophen.
	Mild to moderate hallucinations in the elderly are often provoked by lack of sleep. The duration of a night's sleep is 7-9 hours. Sleeping during the day is not recommended as it disrupts the normal sleep cycle and contributes to insomnia, which also leads to delusions.
	By learning to minimize physical and psychological stress, a person can reduce the frequency and severity of hallucinations. To relieve stress, it is recommended to regularly maintain water balance, perform the exercises prescribed by the doctor.
	A person needs urgent help if hallucinations are combined with discoloration of the lips and nail plates, stickiness of the skin and chest pain.

Note! It is necessary to consult a doctor even with a single episode of hallucinations.

What is the prognosis?

The chart shows the % risk ratio for recurrence.

The deterioration of the forecast is observed against the background of:

• change of visual illusions by visual pseudo-hallucinations;
• continuity of visions;
• change of visual illusions by verbal pseudo-hallucinations.

If the listed disorders are reversed, this signals an improvement in the clinical picture.

If the treatment was timely, it is possible to ease the symptoms and restore the person's social adaptation. Acute conditions are cured completely, in chronic cases it is possible to achieve a long remission.

Conclusion

Treat hallucinations in the elderly folk remedies it is forbidden. Many medicinal herbs cause allergies and contribute to the aggravation of the clinical picture.

More information about the treatment of pathological conditions can be found in the video in this article.