It's All In Your Head

Anonymous Asks:

[TW anxiety] to the anon afraid of sleeping alone, I have a similar problem... what I do to quell it is I cover myself entirely with blankets (it makes me feel safer idk why), and I especially make sure to keep my back covered, like maybe with an extra blanket or, if you sleep next to a wall, keep your back against the wall so that it doesn't feel exposed. Nightlights can help too, I use Christmas lights. I also put on some white noise (a fan, etc.) to help disrupt any auditory (cont.)

mentalillnessmouse Said:

hallucinations that I have. If cats are an option, try for a cat? They’ve helped people who feel ‘phantoms’ in their rooms at night because they keep such a close watch, which gives the room a safer atmosphere. If necessary, fill in any spaces that can be hidden under to prevent the feeling of being watched—put boxes under desks, open the closets wide and direct lights at them, slide cardboard behind dressers. And, as has been said, try to talk to someone about this too. hope this helped!

Anonymous Asks:

Psychosis: How do you distinguish between hallucinations and imagination? I've always been paranoid that other people are somewhere out of sight. Now my ears have started ringing a lot more, I'm jumpier than ever, and I see and hear things sometimes. For a moment I think they're real, but usually seconds later I know they aren't.

mentalillnessmouse Said:

Both are creations in the absence of real-word stimuli. Generally, in the case of imagination you can discern the creation from the real world. In the case of hallucination the discernment is lacking. Hallucinations are often accompanied by anxiety, paranoia, fear, or some other strong emotion. It’s hard to distinguish whether what you’re experiencing is a hallucination or imagination without knowing the specifics, so this is something a doctor is going to be able to answer more definitively.

Simple things like occasional hearing a phone ring that isn’t or thinking you see something out of the corner of your eye is fairly typical and isn’t always a cause for concern. A hallucination that lasts for a long period of time, occurs frequently, and/or causes fear, paranoia, reckless behaviors, or anything other than a brief moment of being startled is something you may want to talk about with a doctor.

There are people who experience hallucinations and are able to recognize that they’re experiencing hallucination. This usually comes from learning to recognize hallucination triggers and patterns, but not always.

Again, if you’re unsure, talk to a mental health professional.

~Lil

Anonymous Asks:

I was diagnosed as having psychotic symptoms while I was taking medications for depression and anxiety. My psychiatrist had me on 9 different pills, two of them were new kinds of meds for me- antipsychotics. Within days of being put on it, I had an intense hallucination, and minor ones the following days. I would think that being on antipsychotics would prevent hallucinations.. do you think the antipsychotics could have actually caused it, or could it have been a drug interaction?

mentalillnessmouse Said:

This could have been caused by the anti-psychotics, a drug interaction, or something not related to medications at all. Talking to your doctor and/or therapist is going to provide the most knowledgeable answers. I’d suggest bringing this up as soon as possible.

~Lil

Anonymous Asks:

I'm wondering, is it irregular for people to occasionally have auditory hallucinations? I only have them once and a while, never more than a short sentence, and I wonder if it's always a sign of mental illness? I've struggles with insomnia all my life, to the degree where I would hallucinate quite vividly, but it seemed different in that I wasn't sure if what I was seeing/hearing was real, even after it had finished. When I hear voices at random I think they're real for a moment, but once I've +

mentalillnessmouse Said:

+ verified that they aren’t I accept it rather easily. I’ve also had epilepsy (I’ve grown out of it, luckily), which I’ve heard may be a cause for these sorts of things. I’m wondering if I should be worried enough to bring up the concern with my doctor, especially if it’s only occasional and (at least for now) mostly harmless. I’m worried that some day it might get to the point where it progresses past an occasional “I can hear you” or “We’ve got to whisper” to something persistent and scary.”

Hallucinations aren’t always a sign of mental illness. As you mentioned, lack of sleep can bring on hallucinations, as can underlying conditions such as epilepsy. In any case, I think it’s important to talk to a doctor about this as soon as possible. Even if the hallucinations occur only once in a while and you’re able to recognize that they’re not real, it’s important to try to determine the cause of the hallucinations, be it from the insomnia, epilepsy, or something else.

~Lil

[Image: 18-piece green-colored background with a common house mouse. Top text reads: “Finally open up to a “friend” about having hallucinations.” Bottom text reads: “They react by calling you “crazy” and never speak to you again.”]

sexsocialismandscifi Asks:

TW! I don't want to overload you with more anorexia asks, but everyone commenting does seem to be focussing on the physical effects of anorexia, but the mental aspects... Ah, I think someone just wishing to be skinny would never develop it, because, when you get down to it, it isn't about 'skinny'. It's um, a frame of mind I cannot quite explain, but you feel so accomplished when you go without eating, because you know it's killing you. It's a slow suicide, really.

mentalillnessmouse Said:

TW : Eating Disorder, Hallucinations

I agree it’s not about being “skinny” but this is what people see, unfortunately.

I think I comprehend what you are saying.

It can be about perfectionism, where not eating is a way of gaining control of a seemingly out-of-control-feeling life… or a way of punishing oneself for being something opposite of this perceived “perfection”.

I don’t know if this is similar and I apologize if it really isn’t…. but I’ve felt similarly when the voices in my head [auditory hallucinations] are especially loud and angry. I eat really small amounts or nothing at all for days… not because I want to be skinny. But because I’m drowning in self-hatred and it’s a form of …. self-harm… I guess. or the voices screaming in my ears are just telling me I’m not worth it and I don’t deserve to be eating.

I’m not diagnosed with an eating disorder though….

So again, sorry if that wasn’t relevant @ - @ … it just felt related in my head.

Enough about me though,

I hope you will find the happiness and support and recovery you deserve. : ]

- Safet

[P.S. Don’t worry about overloading the tumblr with asks. We’re here to listen and any input is helpful…. not only if it helps you, but also if it just helps open other people’s eyes to the reality of things. So, thank you. ]

Hallucinations

onlinecounsellingcollege:

Hallucinations involve sensing things while awake that appear to be real, but instead have been created by the mind. Common hallucinations include:

·         Feeling bodily sensations, such as a crawling feeling on the skin or the movement of internal organs

·         Hearing sounds, such as music, footsteps, windows or doors banging

·         Hearing voices when no one has spoken (the most common type of hallucination). These voices may be critical, complimentary, neutral, or may command someone to do something that may cause harm to themselves or to others.

·         Seeing patterns, lights, beings, or objects that aren’t there

·         Smelling a foul or pleasant odor

In some cases, hallucinations may be normal. For example, hearing the voice of, or briefly seeing, a loved one who has recently died can be a part of the grieving process.

Causes

·         There are many causes of hallucinations, including:

·         Being drunk or high, or coming down from such drugs as marijuana, LSD, cocaine (including crack), PCP, amphetamines, heroin, ketamine, and alcohol

·         Delirium or dementia (visual hallucinations are most common)

·         Epilepsy that involves a part of the brain called the temporal lobe (odor hallucinations are most common)

·         Fever, especially in children and the elderly

·         Narcolepsy (a sleep disorder that causes excessive sleepiness and frequent daytime sleep attacks)

·         Psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia and psychotic depression

·         Sensory problem, such as blindness or deafness

·         Severe illness, including liver failure, kidney failure, AIDS, and brain cancer

A person who begins to hallucinate and is detached from reality should get checked by a health care professional right away. Many medical and psychiatric conditions that can cause hallucinations may quickly become emergencies. A person who begins to hallucinate may become nervous, paranoid, and frightened, and should not be left alone.

Source: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003258.htm