HALLUCINATIONS
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A hallucination occurs when
environmental, emotional, or physical factors such as stress,
medication, extreme fatigue, or mental illness cause the mechanism
within the brain that helps to distinguish conscious perceptions
from internal, memory-based perceptions to misfire. As a result,
hallucinations occur during periods of consciousness. They can
appear in the form of visions, voices or sounds, tactile feelings
(known as haptic hallucinations), smells, or tastes.
Patients suffering from dementia and psychotic disorders such as
schizophrenia frequently experience hallucinations. Hallucinations
can also occur in patients who are not mentally ill as a result of
stress overload or exhaustion, or may be intentionally induced
through the use of drugs, meditation, or sensory deprivation. A 1996
report, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, noted that
37% of 4,972 people surveyed experienced hypnagogic hallucinations
(hallucinations that occur as a person is falling to sleep).
Hypnopomic hallucinations (hallucinations that occur just upon
waking) were reported by 12% of the sample. |
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