Auditory and visual hallucinations have been occuring on and off in Ms.M’s life long before the diagnosis of schizophrenia was being made. The characteristics of the images that she described remain the same (eg. Shadow-like, human figures, moving, etc) throughout the years. However, she said that she has not been hearing voices for 2 years. It seems like the treatments she received neither lessen nor worsen her visual hallucinations but improve her auditory hallucinations. In fact, it remains doubtful regarding to the improvement in her auditory hallucinations because she was still noted talking and laughing to herself prior to this current admission. She might be actually still hearing voices and was trying to converse with the voices. …show more content…
First, irritation of the primary visual cortex and visual association cortices. (Teeple 2009) This eventually makes the visual intergration system of the brain goes haywired. One of the common examples regarding to such irritation is seizure activity, where spontaneous and synchronised impulses are fired.
The second mechanism is regarding to the pathological lesion of the visual system. Literatures highlight deafferentation as one of the common lesions seen in patient with visual hallucination regardless of the etiology. Molecular changes that occur during deafferentation leads to a hypersensitive state of the neurons and subsequently the cortical releases phenomonon. This is suggested to be rather similar to the phantom limb pain experienced by the post-amputation patient. (Burke 2002)
On the other hand, lesion occuring outside the visual system have also been implicated in the role of generating visual hallucinations. One of them is the lesion in the reticular activating system (RAS). Working together with neurohormonal system, RAS acts as a facilitory system which receives and relay informations from the sensory organs to regulate the various state of conciousness . Therefore, any injury or lesion in the brianstem (eg. Peduncular hallucinosis) might be able to lead to visual hallucinations. (Cogan
5). While Schizophrenia has been most commonly treated with the use of anti-psychotic medications for decades, cognitive therapy provides an alternative and cognitive psychologist would undoubtedly disagree with Elizabeth’s mother’s decision to medicate her. The way a cognitive psychologist would treat Elizabeth is by the use of therapy and encouraging her to talk about her behaviors and problems as they do not believe that Schizophrenia “is a biological illness that one either has or does not have” (Freeman, 2014, para. 7) and instead the symptoms such as hallucinations or delusions simply represent the patient’s thoughts and feelings (Freeman, 2014). For example, “an individual troubled by hearing voices will be helped to understand what’s triggering these voices, and to develop a more confident, empowering relationship with them” (Freeman, 2014, para.
According to Albert Hoffman’s experience written in his journal, Albert Hoffman wrote: “…Beginning dizziness, feeling of anxiety, visual distortions, symptoms of paralysis, desire to laugh…. In spite of my delirious, bewildered condition, I had brief periods of clear and effective thinking… My surroundings had now transformed themselves in more terrifying ways. Everything in the room spun around, and the familiar objects and pieces of furniture assumed grotesque, threatening forms. They were in continuous motion, animated, as if driven by an inner restlessness….” (Hoffman, 1943)
... sight: A case of hemineglect. In J. A. Ogden, Fractured Minds (pp. 113-136). New York: Oxford University Press.
(5) D. Lewis (1986): Veridical Hallucination and Prosthetic Vision. In: D. Lewis: Philosophical Papers. New York et al., Vol. II, 273 - 290
Much work has been done to find the exact cause of hallucinations and what is going on in the brain when they occur. Some progress has been made. Charles Bonnet syndrome is the onset of hallucinations in psychologically healthy individuals who have recently become blind or seeing impaired. These are called release hallucinations because it is thought that they are 'released' or instigated by the, "removal of normal visual afferent impute to association cortex"(5). Experiments involving direct stimulation of the temporal lobe, and fMRI's taken during hallucinations have indicated that - at least for complex hallucinations - the cause may be that corresponding visual areas in the brain are activated in the absence of inhibition due to visual input. In other words, this is an example of the chicken with its head cut off - apparently normal visual input to areas of the brain responsible for interpreting different things may be the only thing that keeps us from experiencing hallucinations of this kind (5). A...
“… There is a feeling of strange intoxication and shifting consciousness with minor perceptual changes. There may also be strong physical effects, including respiratory pressure, muscle tension (especially face and neck muscles), and queasiness or possible nausea… After this the state of altered consciousness begins to manifest itself…..among the possible occurences are feelings of inner tranquility, oneness with life, heightened awareness, and rapid thought flow…these effects will deepen and become more visual. Colors may become more intense. Halos and auras may appear about things. Objects
Wykes, T., Parr, A., & Landau, S. (1999). Group Treatment of Auditory Hallucinations. Exploratory Study of Effectiveness. British Journal of Psychiatry, 175, 180–185.
Teeple, Ryan C., Jason P. Caplan, and Theodore A. Stern. Visual Hallucinations: Differential Diagnosis and Treatment. N.p.: Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc., 2009. PDF.
... big role in hallucination. Serotonin which exits in the brain affects a wide range of conditions relating to aggression, sleep regulation, depression, anxiety, pain reception and etc. Serotonin most concentrated region lies within the hypothalamus and the pineal gland. Researchers have found that when its active potential carrying out the information of fear actually reaches the hypothalamus from the amygdala, the hypothalamus releases the serotonin into the system which provides assists to epinephrine and norepinephrine to prepare the body for the fight or flight response. When all of this is in process, the serotonin tends to cause the calm muscles of the actual blood vessels to constrict. As a result, the blood pressure tends to rise in the brain and the membrane in the optic or audio cortex begin changing, and that is what starts to trigger the hallucination.
I will first talk about the positive symptoms of schizophrenia. One of the most occurring positive symptoms is hallucinations. Hallucinations are false perceptions, inaccuracies that affect a person's senses and cause us to hear, see, taste, touch, or smell what others do not. Some people with schizophrenia will hear voices that can be reassuring and yet they can be very menacing. Allot of times these voices lead people to hurt themselves or just do abnormal things. Hallucinations, usually the same ones over and over, take control of a person and leave them feeling victimized.
...ilepsy, dementia, neuro-infections. Withdrawal from substances such as alcohol and drugs such as amphetamines can also be associated with auditory hallucinations. These people without mental illness will be inclined to report that their voices will be positive and have a high level of control over the voices. They will also experience these less frequently and will have less problems with doing daily things than those who have a mental illness (Norman 2004). These Auditory hallucinations may be experienced in many different ways such as coming out of the ears, or being in the mind or anywhere outside the body. They will can occur at any time but will distance from low meaning having a experience maybe once a month or may be less to having them daily and all of the time. The voices can be very quiet like whispers or will be very loud as if someone is shouting at you.
"Hypnagogic Hallucinations and the Magical Half Awake, Half Asleep State."Udemy Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2014.
Hallucinogen persisting perception disorder, also known as HPPD, is a disorder distinguished by the continual sensory disturbances, usually visual. In this paper, we will research the disorder, exploring causes, symptoms, treatments, etc. as well as look at case studies the were done to further understand the disease. Very few people have been diagnosed with HPPD so research is limited, so this paper will act as a summary of the disorder, how it relates to visual perception and how it is often portrayed with art.
(Sacks, 2012) The person experiencing them is convinced that what they are seeing or smelling is real, and become very confused as to what is reality and what is not. These most commonly occur in people who suffer from a mental illness such as schizophrenia or various types of psychotic disorders. In this article the author discusses how hallucinations are becoming more common amongst people today, and the different scenarios where they are more present. Hallucinations can occur when experiencing migraines, seizures, or even consuming too much of a particular medication. (Sacks, 2012)
...es his "meditation". Before visions appear, there are flashes and disturbances in color, which are not explainable. The visions often follow a sequence from geometric figures to unfamiliar objects that vary with the individual.