old age and hallucinations

old age and hallucinations
   In biomedicine the notion of old age tends to refer to the age group of 65 years and older. Within the group of non-institutionalized individuals thus defined, the mean incidence and prevalence of hallucinations are somewhat higher than in the younger age groups, especially for those experienced in the visual modality. This increase in incidence and prevalence is attributed not only to the increased prevalence of diseases in old age but also to CNS changes characteristic of ageing. Based on cross-sectional surveys of clinical populations, prevalence figures for hallucinations among the elderly lie between 15 and 30%. These hallucinations can occur in any of the sensory modalities. Again a significant proportion of them is * visual in nature, as opposed to the predominantly * auditory nature of the hallucinations found among adolescents and young adults. Visual hallucinations and *illusions in the elderly would seem to occur especially at dusk or at other occasions where light is relatively scarce (i.e. in association with vesperal confusion). Reportedly, these hallucinations and illusions often involve human figures moving about in rows, in a straight line from one side of the visual field to the other. The affective tone of the hallucinated figures is frequently described as either impassive, menacing, or sexually laden. The affected individual often recognizes one or more deceased loved ones among the hallucinated individuals, and he or she may feel surrounded by a community of deceased acquaintances. Animals such as rats, cats, dogs, and insects can feature in these hallucinations as well (i.e. *zoopsia), and some hallucinating individuals complain that the place where they are staying is overgrown with irregular branching forms in the shape of trees, branches, logs, or pine needles (i.e. *dendropsia). * Visual illusions experienced by the elderly can take the general form of a *cognitive illusion such as a shadow being mistaken for a cat or a moving curtain for a person approaching (sometimes referred to as *pareidolia). More specific illusions associated with old age are the * TV sign (i.e. the mistaken impression that a person appearing on the television screen is actually present in one's home or that events presented on television are taking place inside one's home), the *magazine sign (a similar phenomenon occurring in relation to photographs in a magazine), and the * picture sign (a similar phenomenon occurring in relation to portraits). Some organic conditions held responsible for the raised prevalence of hallucinations among the elderly are * sensory handicaps, * tinnitus, Pick's disease, Lewy body dementia, Alzheimer's disease, other types of dementia, Parkinson's disease, localized cerebral lesions, metabolic disorders, * delirium, alcoholism, and intoxication due to the use of therapeutics. Some specific types of hallucination which occur frequently among the elderly are visual hallucinations in the context of * Charles Bonnet syndrome, the * phantom boarder syndrome, *bereavement hallucinations, * sexual hallucinations, and * musical hallucinations. Moreover, studies among the dying suggest that some 50% of these experience *death-bed apparitions.
   References
   Berrios, G.E., Brook, P. (1984). Visual hallucinations and sensory delusions in the elderly. British Journal of Psychiatry, 144, 662-664.
   Berrios, G.E. (1992). Psychotic symptoms in the elderly: Concepts and models.In: Delusions and hallucinationsin oldage. Edited by Katona, C., Levy, R. London: Gaskell.
   Wertheimer, J. (1992). Some hypotheses about the genesis ofvisual hallucinations in dementias. In: Delusions and hallucinations in old age.Edited by Katona, C., Levy, R. London: Gaskell.

Dictionary of Hallucinations. . 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • anosognosia and hallucinations —    The term anosognosia comes from the Greek words a (not), nosos (illness), and gnosis (insight). It translates loosely as lack of knowledge of one s illness . The French neologism anosog nosie was introduced in or shortly before 1914 by the… …   Dictionary of Hallucinations

  • Health and Disease — ▪ 2009 Introduction Food and Drug Safety.       In 2008 the contamination of infant formula and related dairy products with melamine in China led to widespread health problems in children, including urinary problems and possible renal tube… …   Universalium

  • Oggy and the Cockroaches — Title Format Animated Comedy Created by Jean Yves Raimbaud Terry Klassen Country of orig …   Wikipedia

  • Scientology and psychiatry — Scientology has come into conflict with psychiatry since the foundation of Scientology in 1952. Scientology is publicly, and often vehemently, opposed to both psychiatry and psychology. [ [http://www.scientology.org/en… …   Wikipedia

  • Museum of Ayrshire Country Life and Costume — Dalgarven Mill is near Kilwinning, North Ayrshire, Scotland and home to the Museum of Ayrshire Country Life and Costume. The watermill has been completely restored over a number of years and is now run by the Dalgarven Mill Trust. The village of… …   Wikipedia

  • Aristotle: Aesthetics and philosophy of mind — David Gallop AESTHETICS Aesthetics, as that field is now understood, does not form the subjectmatter of any single Aristotelian work. No treatise is devoted to such topics as the essential nature of a work of art, the function of art in general,… …   History of philosophy

  • Religious and spiritual use of cannabis — Sacramental, religious and spiritual use of cannabis refers to cannabis used in a religious or spiritual context. Cannabis has an ancient history of ritual usage as an aid to trance and has been traditionally used in a religious context… …   Wikipedia

  • Dimitri Marick and Erica Kane — Erica and Dimitri Marick (Susan Lucci and Michael Nader). Dimitri Marick and Erica Kane are fictional characters and a supercouple from the ABC daytime drama All My Children.[1] Erica is portrayed by daytime icon Susan Lucci, and Dimitri was… …   Wikipedia

  • Gabriel and Sarah Stacy — Gabriel Stacy and Sarah Stacy Gabriel and Sarah Stacy. Art by Mike Deodato. Publication information Publisher Marvel Comics …   Wikipedia

  • Charles Bonnet syndrome — (CBS)    The eponym Charles Bonnet syndrome (CBS) refers to the Swiss naturalist and philosopher Charles Bonnet (1720 1792). It was introduced in 1936 by the Swiss neurologist Georges de Mor sier (1894 1982) to denote a hallucinatory state or… …   Dictionary of Hallucinations

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”