What does it mean when you feel like someone is touching you?

Tactile hallucinations are sensations of touch without any physical stimulus. Some people may experience sensations of touch or movement on the skin, or within the body. Hallucinations are things that appear real to the person experiencing them but are actually just perceptions created by the mind.

healthline.com - Tactile Hallucinations: Symptoms, Causes, Risks, and Treatment

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A tactile hallucination is an impression that something is touching you when, in fact, nothing is there. Tactile hallucinations can take many forms. While most hallucinations consist of perceptions seen or heard, they can also be smelled (olfactory hallucinations), tasted (gustatory hallucinations), and felt (tactile hallucinations). Hallucinations are things that appear real to the person experiencing them but are actually just perceptions created by the mind. They aren’t dreams or nightmares. They occur while a person is awake. Tactile hallucinations are sensations of touch without any physical stimulus. Some people may experience sensations of touch or movement on the skin, or within the body. Those who experience tactile hallucinations describe a variety of sensations. Common ones include: Hallucinations of all kinds, including the tactile variety, arise from problems in brain function. Experts theorize that they stem from abnormal electrical activity in certain areas of the brain. That abnormal activity can be brought on by several factors, some of which are described here.

Mental illness

A variety of mental disorders, including mania, postpartum psychosis, and severe depression, can produce hallucinations of multiple varieties.

Illicit drug use

A category of drugs known as hallucinogens are thought to interfere with communication between the brain and the spinal cord, which, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse , can result in users “experiencing rapid, intense emotional swings and seeing images, hearing sounds, and feeling sensations that seem real but are not.” These drugs include LSD, PCP (angel dust), and mescaline. Other drugs, such as cocaine and ecstasy, can also produce tactile hallucinations.

Alcohol abuse or withdrawal

What experts call alcoholic hallucinosis — which usually takes the form of hearing voices but can also include tactile hallucinations — is a rare byproduct of chronic alcohol abuse. Hallucinations, including those of the tactile variety, can also occur when a heavy drinker suddenly stops or severely limits their alcohol intake (called alcohol withdrawal intake and, in severe cases, delirium tremens, aka, “the DTs”). These tactile hallucinations can manifest as feelings of numbness or as burning or itching skin.

Parkinson’s disease

Certain medical conditions can produce tactile hallucinations. Parkinson’s disease (a condition marked by the malfunction and death of nerve cells in the brain) Research notes that tactile hallucinations in people with Parkinson’s can sometimes involve animals, occur more frequently at night, and are a result of the disease as well as the medications used to treat it. It also notes that tactile hallucinations in people with Parkison’s seems to be rare.

Lewy body dementia

Lewy body dementia is a Parkinson’s-like illness that can also cause tactile hallucinations. However, visual hallucinations are more common in this condition.

Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s is a progressive form of dementia. It accounts for 60-80% of dementia cases. Dementia is an umbrella term for conditions that impact behavior, memory, and cognitive perception.

People with Alzheimer’s disease may experience tactile, visual, or auditory hallucinations.

Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a chronic psychiatric disorder, in which people experience hallucinations, delusions, and other distortions of reality. A 2016 study of 200 people with schizophrenia found that more than half experienced visual or tactile hallucinations.

Medications

Lessening dosages, or changing medications can help address the problem.

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