Hallucinosis: causes and characteristics of this alteration.

This type of perceptual alteration associated with drugs can be confused with hallucinations.

The brain is an extremely complex organ that is in charge of, among many other things, processing all sensory information, that is, controlling everything we perceive around us. But there are certain situations in which our brain plays with these perceptions, giving rise to the not very well known hallucinosis..

Within this hallucinatory picture, hallucinosis is typical of non-psychiatric illnesses, and refers to the state in which a person can experience hallucinations but being completely aware that what he/she perceives is not real.

The difference with the rest of hallucinations is that, in these cases, the person is able to discern perfectly well that they are not real.The difference with other hallucinations is that, in these cases, the person is able to discern perfectly well that they are not real; being completely able to perceive that something is not working properly and, consequently, to ask for help.

In addition to being able to be both auditory and visual, these three pictures have in common the fact that they appear in an external space and possess the properties of corporeality and objectivity of normal perceptions. of normal perceptions.

However, unlike hallucinations and pseudohallucinations, the person who experiences them is aware that it is a hallucination and therefore is not slow to call for help.

As for hallucinations and pseudohallucinations, these usually appear in psychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia or the manic phase of bipolar disorder.

As detailed above, hallucinosis is not typical of psychiatric disorders, but rather occurs as a consequence of situations of alcohol, psychoactive substances or drug abuse; although it may also occur, exceptionally, in a brain disorder, exceptionally, in some cerebral disorder.

1. Alcoholic hallucinosis

This type of hallucinosis consists of the perception of an object or phenomenon that is not present at that moment due to excessive alcohol consumption.

When this happens, the person becomes aware of the deception that his or her mind is infusing and may associate it as something caused by his or her state.

The most typical cause of this symptom is related to the sudden elimination of excessive alcoholic habits.The most typical cause of this symptom is related to the sudden elimination of excessive alcoholic habits, so it is usual that these hallucinations are experienced during the withdrawal syndrome.

Patients who manifest this type of hallucinosis caused by alcohol should be treated urgently to try to control the symptoms, since if they do not receive appropriate treatment immediately, it may worsen, thus becoming a delirium tremens.

This syndrome is characterized by a severe picture that includes dehydration, fever, fever, fever, fever, fever, fever, fever, fever, fever, fever, fever includes dehydration, fever, visual and auditory hallucinationsIt can even lead to death due to acute intoxication.

2. Substances of abuse or psychotropic drugs

Among all the detrimental effects that the use and abuse of drugs and psychotropic drugs have on both the body and the brain, hallucinations are among the most common.

The most common hallucinogenic drugs are:

• Ecstasy (MDMA)
• Psilocybin (DMT)
• Mescaline
• Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD)

Ecstasy, psilocybin and mescaline are made from certain species of hallucinogenic mushrooms and cacti, while LSD is obtained by synthesizing ergoline and tryptamines in a laboratory setting, and is much more potent than any of the above.

3. Brain disorders

There are certain brain diseases whose manifestations include episodes of hallucinosis. These disorders can be either neurological, genetic, or caused by brain lesions or tumors. These symptoms vary greatly depending on the depending on the patient and the severity of the disease.

Charles Bonnet syndrome or organic hallucinosis

One of the cases in which hallucinosis has an organic cause is Charles Bonnet Syndrome, hence it is also known as organic hallucinosis. This name comes from the fact that there is something measurable, weighable or quantifiable that causes this disease.

Charles Bonnet Syndrome is a disease a disease associated with people who suffer from visual loss.. In these specific cases, patients also have complex visual hallucinations.

This disorder affects people who are mentally healthy but suffer from significant visual loss. These patients experience recurrent, vivid and complex visual hallucinations, with the particularity that the perceived characters or objects are smaller than usual..

Since they are hallucinosis and not hallucinations, sufferers know perfectly well that they are not real, and since they are purely visual, they do not affect any other sense.

Sufferers of Charles Bonnet Syndrome can perceive a wide variety of hallucinations. From the most common ones, such as complex colored patterns and peopleto animals, plants and animated objects.

Charles Bonnet Syndrome is associated with lesions of any segment of the visual pathway, and is usually caused by advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and large visual field defects. These hallucinations usually cease when the patient performs any eye movement.