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Parkinson’s disease is a progressiveneurological conditionthat primarily affects older people. The first signs of Parkinson’s disease are a decline in motor and coordination skills. Common symptoms of the condition include muscle stiffness, tremors, loss of balance and coordination, and slow movements.

However, in some cases, Parkinson’s disease may also cause a person to develop hallucinations and delusions. These hallucinations can affect any of their five senses and can be debilitating in severe cases. Delusions are false beliefs.

Visual hallucinations are the most common type a person with Parkinson’s can develop. Some research reveals that up to 75% of people with Parkinson’s disease may developvisual hallucinationsas the disorder progresses.

Visual hallucinations can be common with Parkinson’s disease. Still, it’s not a typical symptom of Parkinson’s disease.

Parkinson’s Disease Causes

Symptoms of Parkinson’s Hallucinations

A hallucination is anything you perceive with your five senses that aren’t real. A hallucination can affect how you see, smell, hear, taste, and feel things.

For instance, a person with visual hallucinations will likely see things that aren’t there. A person with Parkinson’s may experience hallucinations on a scale ranging from slight to severe.Signs of hallucinationsinclude

Identifying Parkinson’s Hallucinations

While hallucinations can often be expected with Parkinson’s disease, Parkinson’s disease isn’t typically at the top of the mind when diagnosing a person with hallucinations. Conditions likeschizophrenia,schizoaffective disorder, ormood disorder with psychotic featuresare more commonly linked with hallucinations.

If you’ve already been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, developing hallucinations alerts your doctor to a range of explanations, from the side effects of certain medications to other co-occurring conditions.

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Causes of Parkinson’s Hallucinations

One or a combination of several things can cause a person with Parkinson’s to develop hallucinations. As the disease progresses, the risk of developing hallucinations heightens.

Medication

A leading cause, however, is medication such asSinemet (levodopa),which is used to help manage symptoms such as tremors and difficulty with movement in people with this disorder. A rare side effect of these medications is hallucinations. It’s essential to note that not everyone who uses these medications experiences this particular side effect.

Comorbid Dementia

It’s possible for Parkinson’s to co-occur with other conditions, such as dementia. Experiencing hallucinations in the early stages of Parkinson’s disease is a warning sign that another neurological condition has gone undiagnosed.

Late-Stage Parkinson’s

Parkinson’s starts as mainly motor symptoms; however, as the disease progresses, cognitive changes and dementia are likely to develop. Approximately 80% of people with Parkinson’s will eventually develop dementia, but it may take ten years after the first motor symptoms appear. A common symptom of dementia is hallucinations and delusions.Other disabling symptoms arise in the advanced stages of Parkinson’s as well, and a person is likely to need 24-hour assistance getting their needs met.

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Treatment for Parkinson’s Hallucinations

Treatment for Parkinson’s hallucinations depends on what is causing the hallucinations. Here are treatment approaches considered for the management of Parkinson’s hallucinations.

Coping with Parkinson’s Hallucinations

Living with hallucinations can be frightening. It can make you question what’s real and what’s not. It can also cause you to develop mental health conditions such asdepressionandanxiety. While your healthcare provider is in the best place to provide effective treatment, here are ways you can cope with the pressures of living with Parkinson’s hallucinations:

Hallucinations can also be difficult for a person with Parkinson’s caretaker to manage. Knowing how to manage a hallucinatory episode is crucial as a caretaker of a person with Parkinson’s disease.

Invalidating the experience of a person having hallucinations or telling them that what they are experiencing isn’t real does very little to help them.

Instead, provide support. If they become stressed, try out calming techniques such as deep breathing exercises to help alleviate their stress.

Caring for Someone With Parkinson’s Disease: What to Know

Final Thoughts

Living with Parkinson’s can be challenging; developing hallucinations can make coping with the condition seem near impossible. The good news is that this is false.

Getting treatment for Parkinson’s hallucinations is crucial as soon as you become aware of it. Hallucinations can severely affect your quality of life and even shorten your life expectancy when living with Parkinson’s disease.

What Causes Hallucinations?

6 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institute on Aging.Parkinson’s disease: Causes, symptoms, and treatments.Weil R, Reeves S.Hallucinations in Parkinson’s disease: New insights into mechanisms and treatments.ACNR. 2020;19(4):20-22. doi:10.47795%2FONNS5189Fenelon G.Hallucinations in Parkinson’s disease: Prevalence, phenomenology and risk factors.Brain. 2000;123(4):733-745. doi:10.1093/brain/123.4.733American Psychiatric Association.Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR); 2022. doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences.Parkinson’s disease dementia.U.S. Food and Drug Administration.FDA approves first drug to treat hallucinations and delusions associated with Parkinson’s disease.

6 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institute on Aging.Parkinson’s disease: Causes, symptoms, and treatments.Weil R, Reeves S.Hallucinations in Parkinson’s disease: New insights into mechanisms and treatments.ACNR. 2020;19(4):20-22. doi:10.47795%2FONNS5189Fenelon G.Hallucinations in Parkinson’s disease: Prevalence, phenomenology and risk factors.Brain. 2000;123(4):733-745. doi:10.1093/brain/123.4.733American Psychiatric Association.Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR); 2022. doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences.Parkinson’s disease dementia.U.S. Food and Drug Administration.FDA approves first drug to treat hallucinations and delusions associated with Parkinson’s disease.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

National Institute on Aging.Parkinson’s disease: Causes, symptoms, and treatments.Weil R, Reeves S.Hallucinations in Parkinson’s disease: New insights into mechanisms and treatments.ACNR. 2020;19(4):20-22. doi:10.47795%2FONNS5189Fenelon G.Hallucinations in Parkinson’s disease: Prevalence, phenomenology and risk factors.Brain. 2000;123(4):733-745. doi:10.1093/brain/123.4.733American Psychiatric Association.Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR); 2022. doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences.Parkinson’s disease dementia.U.S. Food and Drug Administration.FDA approves first drug to treat hallucinations and delusions associated with Parkinson’s disease.

National Institute on Aging.Parkinson’s disease: Causes, symptoms, and treatments.

Weil R, Reeves S.Hallucinations in Parkinson’s disease: New insights into mechanisms and treatments.ACNR. 2020;19(4):20-22. doi:10.47795%2FONNS5189

Fenelon G.Hallucinations in Parkinson’s disease: Prevalence, phenomenology and risk factors.Brain. 2000;123(4):733-745. doi:10.1093/brain/123.4.733

American Psychiatric Association.Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR); 2022. doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787

UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences.Parkinson’s disease dementia.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration.FDA approves first drug to treat hallucinations and delusions associated with Parkinson’s disease.

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