hallucinated

Hallucinated is the past tense and past participle of hallucinate. In medical and general use, it describes perceiving something—most often a sensory experience—that has no external source. A person who has hallucinated may report experiences that others do not perceive as real.

Hallucinations can involve any sense, but are most commonly auditory (such as hearing voices), visual (seeing people or objects), olfactory (smelling odors), gustatory (tasting something), tactile (feeling sensations on the skin), or somatic (internal bodily sensations). They can occur in a single modality or multiple modalities at once and may be brief or persistent.

Causes of hallucinated experiences are diverse. They include psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and bipolar disorder with psychotic features; neurological conditions like dementia, Parkinson’s disease, or epilepsy; sleep deprivation; fever or other medical illnesses; substance effects (including alcohol withdrawal, cannabis, stimulants, and hallucinogens); and certain medications or withdrawal states. Age, stress, or sensory deprivation can also contribute.

Hallucinations are distinct from illusions, which are misinterpretations of real external stimuli, and from pseudohallucinations, where the person recognizes the experience as unreal but still perceives it clearly. Evaluation typically involves a detailed history, assessment of onset and context, physical and neurological examination, and consideration of medical or psychiatric causes. Treatment targets the underlying cause and may include medication (such as antipsychotics), treatment of medical conditions, substance cessation, and safety planning.