Hallucinations

Hallucinations are sensory experiences without a matching external source. Alcohol, other drugs, withdrawal and many health conditions can be involved, so understanding them requires attention to the whole situation.

Hearing a voice when nobody has spoken, seeing a figure that is not there, or feeling an unexplained touch can be convincing. Calling an experience a hallucination describes its sensory character; it does not identify its cause or mean that the person is pretending. It also does not, by itself, establish schizophrenia or another psychotic disorder.

New hallucinations need urgent medical assessment. Seek emergency help immediately if voices tell someone to harm themselves or another person, hallucinations are rapidly worsening, or severe agitation or speech that no longer makes sense develops. A person does not need to know the cause before asking for help.

Sudden confusion needs immediate medical help. Suspected poisoning or overdose also needs urgent help if someone cannot be woken, is breathing abnormally, has a seizure or is rapidly deteriorating. Do not wait to identify the substance.

Someone who may be physically dependent on alcohol should seek medical advice before abruptly stopping or sharply reducing drinking. Seizures, severe confusion, hallucinations or other signs of severe alcohol withdrawal require urgent medical attention.

Some perceptual experiences happen around falling asleep or waking, and some people hear voices over a longer period without a psychotic disorder. These possibilities do not make a new or changing experience safe to dismiss. The timing, other symptoms, substance and medicine history, and effect on everyday life all matter.

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