Introduction

Hallucinations are where someone sees, hears, smells, tastes or feels things that don't exist outside their mind.

They're common in people with Schizophrenia , and are usually experienced as hearing voices.

Hallucinationscan befrightening, but there's usually an identifiable cause. For example, they can occuras a result of:

• taking illegal drugs or alcohol
• a mental illness, such as schizophrenia or dementia
• a progressive neurological condition, such as Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease
• loss of vision caused by a condition such as macular degeneration this is known as Charles Bonnet syndrome

See your GP straight away if you're experiencing hallucinations and you're worried about them.

Hallucinations can make you feel nervous, paranoid and frightened, soit's important to be with someone you can trust.

The following information explains the typical types of hallucinations, including why they occur and what you can do. It covers:

• hearing voices
• drug-induced hallucinations
• hallucinationsand sleep
• hallucinations in children with a fever
• Charles Bonnet syndrome
• hallucinations in older people with delirium

Hallucinations can also occur as a result of extreme tiredness or recent bereavement . However, these and otherrarer causes aren't covered here.