MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'hallucinations'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:17:14 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5130753&cid=t_101103_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fnew-york-times-reports-on-very-atypical-case-of-schizophrenia%2F2011.08.14 Benedict Carey is a New York Times mental health reporter.  In last Sunday’s Times, he wrote about Joe Holt, a man with a diagnosis of schizophrenia.  Mr. Holt was dealt a particularly tough deck of cards: in addition to a diagnosis of schizophrenia, he had a horrible and traumatic childhood with much loss, placement in a facility where he was physically abused, and periods of homelessness as a teenager.  He now has a stable marriage, has adopted children and keeps numerous foster children, and holds two jobs, one as a computer consultant and another as a therapist (if I read that correctly).  He struggles with his emotional life, but my take on this was that this is one extremely resilient man who has waged a successful battle against many demons and his story is inspirational. ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5130753 Sun, 14 Aug 2011 12:00:00 +0100 5130753 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4780395&cid=t_101103_129_f&fid=27216&url=http%3A%2F%2Flifewithadhd.com%2Fadhd-drugs%2Fcommon-drugs-for-adhd-may-cause-hallucinations-the-latest-fda-warning.php Let us have a look at the latest offering from the FDA on common drugs for ADHD. First what are the drugs for ADHD? Dexadrine, Strattera, Ritalin, Adderall XR and Metadate, just to name a few. And the latest news is that the FDA has now warned that children on these ADHD drugs may have hallucinations about insects, snakes and worms crawling all over them! They found 850 cases of this latest horror in the ADHD drugs saga – actually that represents about 2% of the children taking these drugs. These are rather coyly referred to as hallucinations and ‘psychotic episodes’. One little girl actually fell down because she was convinced she had run into a brick wall. She had taken a 18 milligrams dose of one of the above drugs. You can find this report in the ‘Pediatrics&#... Life With ADHD blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4780395 Mon, 02 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4780395 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4077319&cid=t_101103_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F10%2F18%2Fwhy-dreaming-is-believing%2F We all live two mental lives. When we are awake it is mostly ordered, rational, linear and bounded by rules, both behavioral and physical. When we are asleep it is chaotic, nonlinear, without rules, often without sense. According to some, dreams are nothing more than the byproduct of a brain disconnected from its normal sensory inputs, freewheeling its way through the night. To others, dreams denote night-time learning or problem-solving, even automatic sifting of the mind’s detritus – useless information to be skimmed off the surface and dumped like so much mental junk. Amongst the general public, though, there are much stronger beliefs about the power of dreams. So strong that, according to recent research, people seem to believe that dreams can predict the future. Freudians... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4077319 Mon, 18 Oct 2010 13:00:51 +0100 4077319 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3607559&cid=t_101103_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F05%2F27%2Faspirin-for-schizophrenia%2F Could inflammation be a contributing factor to some symptoms in schizophrenia? And if inflammation is a significant factor in schizophrenia, could ordinary aspirin help? Researchers (Lann et al., 2010) from the Netherlands (I love researchers from the Netherlands!) set to find out. They looked at 70 inpatients in ten psychiatric hospitals who were already taking antipsychotic medications to help treat their schizophrenia (or a related schizophrenia disorder). They randomly divided the 70 patients into two groups — a control group that received placebo, and another group who received 1,000 mg of aspirin per day. Patient functioning and psychopathology was tested with a common assessment, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). The researchers also looked at cognitive functio... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3607559 Thu, 27 May 2010 21:19:03 +0100 3607559 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3416281&cid=t_101103_137_f&fid=39091&url=http%3A%2F%2Falzheimmers.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F03%2Fwhat-are-antipsychotics.html Antipsychotics are a group of medications used to treat a whole host of disorders and symptomatology. Generally speaking they are terribly misunderstood, dreaded and the subject of much hatred and controversy. They stir up a lot more emotion than say an anti-hypertensive to treat high blood pressure or an oral hypoglycemic to treat type II diabetes. They are also responsible for saving many lives. They are also responsible for helping many chronically mentally ill people live and function outside of a state mental facility.they have been around for a long time, the original developed in the early 1950's and that was Thorazine. A whole host of medications followed, the so-called typical antipsychotics or first generation antipsychotics. more common ones still frequently used (but not as muc... Caregiver Survival: I Hate Alzheimer's blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3416281 Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:33:00 +0100 3416281 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3416285&cid=t_101103_137_f&fid=39091&url=http%3A%2F%2Falzheimmers.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F02%2Fis-alzheimers-mental-illness.html This is more of a political question in many ways than a scientific one. When we speak of a psychiatric disorder we often use the term "functional" as opposed to "medical". Functional essentially means without an organic cause.We know that AD has a specific course, with specific and non-specific signs and symptoms. It has demonstrated changes in the brain at a microscopic cellular level as well as a macroscopic level when it is advanced. The gross brain of a victim with advanced stages of AD looks different than the gross brain of a person without the disease.In many psychiatric disorders you can not find the physical changes in the brain. That does not mean they do not exist, it is just that science has not caught up in certain psychiatric disorders. For a long time when AD was first beco... Caregiver Survival: I Hate Alzheimer's blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3416285 Fri, 19 Feb 2010 07:10:00 +0100 3416285 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3182221&cid=t_101103_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F01%2F18%2F13-myths-of-schizophrenia%2F Schizophrenia is one of those mental disorders that many people seem to confuse with something else, such as multiple personality disorder. It’s a very simple yet very terrifying condition, characterized by usually having a combination of hallucinations and delusions. Hallucinations can involve any of your five senses, but in schizophrenia, usually involves seeing or hearing things that aren’t really there (like hearing other people’s voices inside your head telling you to do something you don’t want to). Delusions are a false belief in something, such as the CIA is out to get you. Many of us hear voices in our heads, but usually it’s our own voice acting as our conscious (”You really shouldn’t eat that second piece of cake!”). That’s n... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3182221 Mon, 18 Jan 2010 15:31:17 +0100 3182221 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2812416&cid=t_101103_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F09%2F20%2Fcarl-jungs-red-book%2F Carl Jung is a fascinating character in psychology’s history. Mentored by Freud himself, Jung broke off from Freud to found his own theory of human behavior, nowadays generally referred to as Jungian psychology. The Jungian theories place more emphasis on the spiritual side of our inner psyche, and the belief that all of humanity shares what he referred to as a collective unconscious. He also believed in the power of archetypes — that our myths and symbols are universal and innate and serve a greater purpose in helping us learn from each of our stages in life. Carl Jung died 48 years ago, but he still has a devout following of professionals, clinicians and researchers who believe in the power of his theories. While not a popular form of psychotherapy in the United States, it r... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2812416 Sun, 20 Sep 2009 15:24:23 +0100 2812416 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2653458&cid=t_101103_146_f&fid=38266&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsleepeducation.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F07%2Fsleep-paralysis-devil-ghost-old-hag.html You’re waking up or falling asleep, and suddenly you’re unable to move. Your body becomes paralyzed as if an unseen weight is upon you.You may be unable to move your arms or legs, body and head. You can breathe and think, but you may be unable to speak. The paralysis may last for only seconds or a few minutes. Then it disappears and you are able to move again.This describes a typical episode of sleep paralysis. It is a common sleep disorder that is classified as a “parasomnia.” Episodes can cause you to feel intense anxiety.Sleep paralysis occurs when the line between sleep and wakefulness is blurred. Normally your brain paralyzes many of your muscles during the stage of rapid eye movement sleep – or REM sleep. This paralysis is called “atonia.”You may experience sleep paraly... Sleep Education blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2653458 Thu, 30 Jul 2009 03:16:00 +0100 2653458 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2113387&cid=t_101103_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthbolt.net%2F2009%2F01%2F18%2Fthe-sunday-sidebar-17%2F Size does matter according to John Coates, the author of a stock trading study. He found that men with longer ring fingers relative to their index fingers seem to be better at high-stakes, fast-paced stock trading as compared to those whose index finger was almost as long as their ring finger. Honestly. I’m not making this up. Researchers gathered together 44 male stock traders working in high finance arenas making quick decisions with large amounts of money and measured their right hands. The study then followed these traders for the next 20 months and discovered that those whose ring fingers were much longer than their index fingers made 11 times more money than those with the shortest ring fingers. Does this mean that if I’m looking for a stocktrader, I need to look at his h... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2113387 Mon, 19 Jan 2009 03:35:54 +0100 2113387 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2110603&cid=t_101103_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F01%2F16%2Fhearing-voices-or-seeing-things-cut-back-on-the-coffee%2F As we reported yesterday, people with a higher caffeine intake, from sources such as coffee, tea and caffeinated energy drinks, are more likely to report hallucinatory experiences such as hearing voices and seeing things that are not there. When under stress, the body releases a stress hormone called cortisol. More of this stress hormone is released in response to stress when people have recently had caffeine. It is this extra boost of cortisol which may link caffeine intake with an increased tendency to hallucinate, said the researchers. This isn’t likely a concern for most people, as most people don’t consume 7 or more cups of coffee every day. (And if you do, you might have more problems than simply hearing the occasional odd voice or whatnot.) But it has a direct impa... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2110603 Fri, 16 Jan 2009 23:59:33 +0100 2110603 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2067393&cid=t_101103_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2008%2F12%2F27%2Flocked-away-for-years-nobody-cares%2F What if someone you loved had a mental disorder that nobody knew how to treat? The disorder causes your loved one to act out against others, because they see hallucinations or believe delusions about others trying to harm them. Sometimes, the delusions might cause them to act out, sometimes even harming other people. Medical and psychological science don’t yet have all the answers. Sadly, we cannot treat, much less cure, everyone with every concern. But medicine and science have come a long way from the 1950s, when all we did was handcuff people to chairs or strap them into beds in order to deal with unruly or violent behavior. Or has it? According to a story last week reported by the Associated Press in The Washington Post, there are dozens of cases of people reportedly being ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2067393 Sat, 27 Dec 2008 21:22:31 +0100 2067393 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2011080&cid=t_101103_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2008%2F12%2F03%2Fgrief-brings-out-hallucinations-illusions%2F Grief is experienced by each and every one of us in a different way, and no two people go through the loss of a loved one alike. One possible grief reaction rarely described, researched or discussed is seeing illusions or hallucinations of the loved one. Scientific American brings us the story: Mourning seems to be a time when hallucinations are particularly common, to the point where feeling the presence of the deceased is the norm rather than the exception. One study, by the researcher Agneta Grimby at the University of Goteborg, found that over 80 percent of elderly people experience hallucinations [and illusions] associated with their dead partner one month after bereavement, as if their perception had yet to catch up with the knowledge of their beloved’s passing. As the study&#8... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2011080 Wed, 03 Dec 2008 20:29:15 +0100 2011080 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=976544&cid=t_101103_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F174520414%2F And so the FDA added new warnings about these rather dangerous side effects associated with Provigil, the sleep-disorder med made by Cephalon. The drugmaker sent a letter to docs saying there were reports of life-threatening rashes - The agency, which approved the drug in 1998, says there were instances of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, which begins as a red rash but can eventually cause skin to peel off the body, resulting in deadly infections. Nearly all cases of the disorder occurred within five weeks of patients starting therapy with Provigil. The agency also cautioned doctors that reports of hallucinations, anxiety and suicidal thoughts have been reported with Provigil. Psychological problems generally stopped within 36 hours of discontinuing use. The labeling change announcement comes le... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=976544 Wed, 24 Oct 2007 21:31:21 +0100 976544 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=882989&cid=t_101103_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F158318206%2F A cancer patient on the drugmaker’s infection med really did see a “Wookie,” you know, those tall, hairy aliens who appeared in ‘Star Wars.’ This one, however, wasn’t on a movie screen, but leaning over the bed. Another patient, however, had a more serene experience and encountered scenic images of New York, presumably not the subway at rush hour. In fact, Bloomberg News reports that about 12 percent of Vfend patients hallucinations, according to research presented at a medical meeting today. The visions appeared within 24 hours of starting the drug, and were more common when Vfend was given intravenously than orally, the National Institutes of Health scientists reported. Other hallucinations included “ugly and unfamiliar” faces; scenic ima... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=882989 Wed, 19 Sep 2007 00:45:00 +0100 882989 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=867247&cid=t_101103_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2007%2F9%2F13%2Fis-there-life-after-death.html By Dov Michaeli MD, Ph.DHere are the results of a survey of 1011 people 50 years old and over, conducted by the AARP.94% believe in God.70% believe in Hell.86% believe in Heaven. Of those, 40% believe that heaven is an actual place; 47% believe it is “state of being”.23% have the cake and eat it too: they believe in Heaven, but also in reincarnation. The percentage was highest in the northeast (31%) and among people in their 50’s and 60’s (in other words, boomers).Near Death Experience Among people believing in the afterlife there is an almost universal acceptance of Near Death Experiences or NDE as “proof”. The most common manifestations of NDE are euphoria, a bright light (sometimes at the end of a tunnel), encounters with dead relatives, or an out-of-... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=867247 Thu, 13 Sep 2007 02:06:08 +0100 867247 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=472285&cid=t_101103_109_f&fid=34794&url=http%3A%2F%2Fadseg-shu.blogspot.com%2F2006%2F03%2Fwhen-tv-talks-to-you.html Two out of the four patients I saw today experienced something called "ideas of reference." This is a paranoid delusion of schizophrenia where someone believes that things said by strangers, or in these cases on TV, are intended for them; i.e. when they watch TV, they believe that the people reporting the news, acting in a sit-com, or in a movie are speaking directly to them. Likewise, they often can hear the message from a stranger as the stranger thinks them, rather than actually verbalizes them. This can be overt or covert. This is distinguished from "thought broadcasting," which is a paranoid delusion that people can hear your thoughts. One young man gave the example of having just come from his psychologist's office yesterday, where they had discussed issues that were very painful to ... Turn Your Head and Scoff blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=472285 Sun, 12 Mar 2006 18:29:00 +0100 472285