Daughter Having Hallucinations

IS it possible that she is haveing episodes of Vertigo? That is when it feels like the world is spinning fast around you. It can be because of inner ear imbalances caused by a virus or other reasons. Ask her if it's a spinning kind of feeling as opposed to just everything speeding up. Vertigo is sometimes treatable and sometomes it just has to run it's course. I had it on and off for a year or so and now have been OK for a few years with no recurrence. Good to talk with your doctor about it.

Good luck,
L.

My daughter hallucinates with high fevers as well. That's the main thing that tells me she is sick if I haven't touched her. She is 9 and I just know to get her medicine for the fever, and then to the doctor.

As for the feeling of things speeding up, I have experienced this off and on my entire life. I have no physical or mental problems, and I'm not on any kind of prescription medication. I've never mentioned it to a doctor because it's never really bothered me. It's just something that kinda makes you stop what you are doing for a minute and wait for it to stop. It has never really bothered me, but if your daughter is bothered by it then maybe you could mention it to her doctor.

Hi S.,
There's no way for anyone to diagnose what this is other than a doctor. Could be any one of a number of things, but you will not know until your daughter is examined by a medical professional. I would not take her "eventually," I would contact the doctor now. Laypeople can't tell you if this is the onset of something serious, of mental illness or anything else - you'll just get a bunch of ideas of what it might be, and no definite information about what's going on with your daughter.
I am wondering if she is on any kind of medication and if that could be contributing to what she is experiencing? But again, only her doctor could make more than a blind guess as to what is causing this.
Good luck!

Sometimes I get Labrenthitis (Vertigo) after having a bad cold virus. It's middle ear related. Each time I've had it, I've been given Mechlazine (spelling?) from the doc., which is the same as Dramamine (over the counter motion sickness relief). The first time I experienced this awful event, I was dizzy for an entire month. The room was spinning, the walls were slanted, etc. My eyes did not stay still, but shot back and forth (side to side) very rapidly. It's pretty scary. It throws you into a feeling of panic. I try to sleep on my left side at night, because many times when I wake up on my right side, before even opening my eyes, I see spinning disks. When this happens, without even opening my eyes, I very carefully turn over to my left side and the spinning stops in a few minutes. I know now that if, God forbid, the vertigo happens again, to just remain very still in the bed and have my husband get a Dramamine for me to take and just wait it out after taking it. It happened to me in '95,'99 & '03. It hasn't happened in a long time now, thank goodness, but if it does happen again (I hope not!) I know what to do for myself and I always have updated Dramamine in the house just in case. Good luck to your little girl. D. N. xo

I think you shouldnt wait to take her to the doctor. A friend of mine described kinda the same thing and it turned out to be very small seizures. It sounds more like vertigo or maybe she has too much "something" in her blood. Ya know what I mean? Really, though...please dont wait. And seeing that she is only 8...I would take the chance of her getting sick again...Its better to be safe than sorry...right?

Hi S., This is not necessarily a sign of future or present mental illness at all. There are a myriad of reasons she could be experiencing this symptom; depersonalization or derealization is more accurate that hallucination. It couldn't hurt to have a psychological evaluation, which is usually free through your county, or offered by child psychologists privately. I suggest this primarily so that you can rule out psychological issues and not have to worry about that. Love, J. (trained and experienced in child psychology, but currently working with grown-ups in private practice).

Hi S.,

I am sorry to hear your daughter had such a hard time lately. The first thing that came to mind was a possible middle ear infection. This can cause symptoms similar to what you have described. A friend of mine had a similar experience and she required a dr.'s care. I too loathe taking my kids to the ped's office during this time of year, I think she should be seen. When I remember the name of the exact condition my friend had, I'll let you know. I belive her treatment was an antibiotic. My best to you and your daughter.

A.