Therapy
The therapy of hallucinations must be based on the individual causes. If alcohol plays a role in the medical history of the patient with hallucinations, controlled withdrawal and addiction therapy must be aimed at, and in the case of fever-induced hallucinations the temperature must be lowered rapidly. Other causes of hallucinations, such as sleep deprivation, after-effects of anaesthesia or sleep paralysis, never actually need to be treated.
If the hallucinations are triggered by drugs, it is usually enough to stop using them and wait. The patient should drink enough water as many drugs have a dehydrating effect. Small snacks rich in vitamins stimulate the metabolism and can accelerate the decay of the effect.
In case of an overdose of the drug consumed, the use of a counteragent or, if taken orally, a gastric lavage may be necessary. If a psychosis has developed in the user due to massive or chronic drug abuse, simply waiting is often no longer sufficient. Patients must seek professional treatment that addresses their addiction problem on the one hand and adjusts to medication on the other.
In the latter case, the therapy lines of drug addicts and the mentally ill meet. Even patients without a drug history who have a mental illness accompanied by hallucinations usually need to be medicated. A speech therapy approach can also be useful.
Which drugs are used can be made dependent on the patient’s condition and psychiatric illness. The drugs of choice for schizophrenia or psychosis are neuroleptics (antipsychotics). They block the docking sites of various substances in the brain and thus prevent the development of hallucinations, for example.
Examples of neuroleptics used are chlorpromazine, haloperidol, clozapine and risperidone. Due to their strong effects and side effects, neuroleptics are prescription drugs and must not be taken irresponsibly. If severe depression is responsible for the hallucinations, antipsychotic drugs do not necessarily have to be prescribed. The right attitude with antidepressants can be just as successful as intensive talk therapy.
