It can also cause psychosis, which is a loss of being in touch with reality. Schizophrenia is a mental health condition that changes the way a person thinks and behaves. LSD, salvia, dimethyltryptamine (DMT), and certain mushrooms are common hallucinogens. These drugs temporarily change the way the brain processes and sends information, causing unusual experiences and thoughts. They include: Drugsĭrugs called hallucinogens can induce hallucinations. A 2010 study attempted to review and discuss many of these hallucinations and their causes. Numerous medical conditions and other factors can cause hallucinations. Learn more about what happens in the brain during a hallucination. Somatic hallucinations: These hallucinations can affect the entire body, causing unreal sensations such as that of bugs crawling on the skin.Tactile hallucinations: These occur when a person feels like something or someone touched them.

Gustatory hallucinations: These cause someone to taste something they did not eat.Olfactory hallucinations: These can occur when a person smells something that is not there.Visual hallucinations: These cause someone to see something that is not real, such as a person or animal.Auditory hallucinations: These are when someone hears something that is not there, such as a voice or radio.There are many different types of hallucinations, including: This observation suggests that a hallucination could be the brain’s way of compensating for a drop in sensory information. For example, some people are more vulnerable to hallucinations when they are falling asleep or partially waking.Ī 2019 study in mice that took a hallucinogenic drug found that the animals had less activity in brain regions that the researchers associated with managing incoming visual information. Hallucinations can happen any time there is a change in brain activity. Share on Pinterest Hallucinations are not always a sign of a mental health disorder.

Anxiety and auditory hallucinations