I've notice recently that a lot of medications warn of hallucinations as one of the possible side effects of taking them. Am I hallucinating a huge increase in seeing this warning? Or are the warnings an illusion that I haven't actually read on all the labels - just on one? Or is this really a conspiracy by aliens trying to fool us into thinking they aren't actually here, it's just our medications that are tricking us into thinking we see them.
A definition of hallucination from a medical dictionary:
Hallucinations are false or distorted sensory experiences that appear to be real perceptions. These sensory impressions are generated by the mind rather than by any external stimuli, and may be seen, heard, felt, and even smelled or tasted.
Some interesting boundaries around this and related word definitions:
Hallucination: a sensory perception without a source in the external world.
* I taste strawberries.
* Wow man, that elephant has been sitting there for days now.
Illusion: a mistaken or false interpretation of a real sensory experience.
* That's not water, that's ice.
* The wind is talking to me.
Delusion: a false belief that a person maintains in spite of evidence to the contrary and the fact that very few others believe them.
* I'm going to go on the next UFO to Jupiter. I have a ticket.
* No, the world never changes and you never have to rethink any of your ideas.
So are all those tiny little black flies just in my head - or is this place just really dusty - or have they been flying over the text on the medication labels when I've been reading them just to make me think I'm hallucinating, so I won't catch on to their evil plans?
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