The strange disorder that makes people smell smells that aren’t there (2024)

FAQs

What causes a person to smell things that are not there? ›

Phantosmia may be caused by a head injury or upper respiratory infection. It can also be caused by aging, trauma, temporal lobe seizures, inflamed sinuses, brain tumors, certain medications and Parkinson's disease. Phantosmia can also result from COVID-19 infection.

What are the smell disorders? People who have a smell disorders either have a decrease in their ability to smell or changes in the way they perceive odors. Hyposmia [high-POSE-mee-ah] is a reduced ability to detect odors. Anosmia [ah-NOSE-mee-ah] is the complete inability to detect odors.

Dysosmia refers to a change in your ability to smell. There are two types of smell changes associated with dysosmia: Parosmia: The smell of a familiar object has changed, or something that usually smells pleasant now has an unpleasant scent.

Phantosmia has been clinically related to schizophrenia and mood disorders: these mental diseases and perception of phantom smells have been linked to abnormal levels of several neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine, dopamine, and norepinephrine (27).

Phantom Smells, such as odd, strong, acrid, metallic, blood-like, sour, ammonia-like, acidy, and repugnant smells, to name a few, are common anxiety disorder symptoms. Many anxious people report having phantom and odd smells as an anxiety symptom.

The smell may only appear on one side of the nose, or it may affect both nostrils. Phantosmia is relatively uncommon. It makes up around 10-20% of disorders related to the sense of smell. In most cases, phantosmia is not a cause for concern and will go away on its own.

There is some evidence for an unusual body odour in schizophrenia that has been linked to a hexenoic acid derivative (trans-3-methyl-2-hexenoic acid; MHA). Poor body odour has been linked to increased negative symptoms and reduced olfactory identification ability.

The two main symptoms of psychosis are: hallucinations – where a person hears, sees and, in some cases, feels, smells or tastes things that aren't there; a common hallucination is hearing voices.

Trimethylaminuria (TMAU) is an uncommon condition that causes an unpleasant, fishy smell. It's also called "fish odour syndrome". Sometimes it's caused by faulty genes that a person inherits from their parents, but this isn't always the case. There's currently no cure, but there are things that can help.

Is phantosmia serious? ›

Phantosmia is not usually a cause for concern, and it often clears up by itself. It can also be a symptom of a more serious condition, so people experiencing phantom smells should see their doctor to check for underlying conditions or complications. The best treatment will depend on the cause of phantosmia.

One of the signs of COVID-19 disease is a loss of taste and smell. While most patients recover from this, some report an unpleasant new symptom following COVID-19 infection called parosmia. It's a condition where otherwise normal smells now smell and taste unpleasant or even disgusting.

Q: Can hallucinations occur as a symptom of PTSD? A: Yes, hallucination can occur as a symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)! For example, one documented case of such a situation was with a a client who had olfactory hallucinations; she would smell the body odor of the man who molested her as a child.

Olfactory hallucinations occur in schizophrenia, in epilepsy and in some otherorganic states. The patient has a hallucination of smell.

A significantly higher rate of parosmia/phantosmia symptoms was reported by patients with severe depression compared to patients with minimal to moderate depression.

Bromidrophobia is a fear of perceived odors.

When a cancer starts specifically in the nerves that affect your sense of smell, it is known as olfactory neuroblastoma. (Esthesioneuroblastoma is another name for this type of cancer.) An olfactory neuroblastoma often happens on the roof of the nasal cavity.

If a growth like a polyp or tumor is causing hyperosmia, surgical removal may alleviate the symptoms. Migraine medications can help treat hyperosmia when migraines are the root cause. Migraine medications can also prevent migraines from occurring as a result of hyperosmia.

The phantom smell usually goes away on its own in a few weeks or months. Your doctor might suggest that you rinse your sinuses with a saltwater solution.

Can psychosis cause phantom smells? ›

Olfactory dysfunction is believed to be an early warning sign of schizophrenia and is an important endophenotypic marker. We highlight a case of late onset acute and transient psychotic disorder with olfactory hallucination.

If you notice phantom smells, talk to your doctor about it. They may do a thorough physical exam and ask about your medical history to make sure you don't have another underlying cause, like a brain tumor. Doctors may also have to rule out another similar smell disorder called parosmia.

Olfactory hallucinations (OH) are experienced by a substantial minority of people with schizophrenia, with previous reports indicating a lifetime prevalence of up to 35% (Kopala et al., 1994) and a past-month prevalence of 13–17% (Langdon et al., 2011).

Because a rotten smell in your nose often means you're also dealing with a sinus infection, nasal polyps, or another condition, it's likely you also have other symptoms. And because an ammonia smell in the nose can signal advanced kidney disease, see a doctor right away if you have that symptom.

Schizophrenia. More than 70% of people with this illness get visual hallucinations, and 60%-90% hear voices. But some may also smell and taste things that aren't there.

"Phantom smells are not known to be a sign of disease," said epidemiologist and lead author Kathleen Bainbridge of the communications disorders institute. "However, we found phantom odors to be more common among people who have fair or poor health."

Olfactory hallucinations are considered important for the biological interpretation of affective disorders. In this regard disturbed olfactory perception can be understood as an example of disturbed brain function in the state of depression.

Yes, just like typical body odor or sweat, people with TMAU may notice how they smell. But like typical body odor or sweat, some people with TMAU may be accustomed to the smell and less likely to react to it than those around them.

What trimethylamine smells like? ›

Trimethylamine is notable for its unpleasant smell. It is the chemical that gives rotten fish a bad smell. When the normal metabolic process fails, trimethylamine accumulates in the body, and its odor is detected in the person's sweat, urine and breath.

Disease at a Glance

Trimethylaminuria causes the body to produce a fishy odor that is released in the sweat, urine, breath, and reproductive fluids. People with Trimethylaminuria are unable to break down trimethylamine. Trimethylamine comes from specific chemicals (choline, carnitine, TMAO) found in certain foods.

If parosmia is a symptom of nasal polyps or a brain tumor, then your healthcare provider may recommend surgery. Sometimes, a surgeon can remove the damaged sensory receptors in your nose to restore your sense of smell.

Classification of olfaction disorders. Hyposmia is a partial loss of smell, whereas anosmia is the total inability to perceive the odorants. Parosmia is a distorted smell perception in the presence of an odorant stimulus. Phantosmia is an olfactory hallucination perceived when no odorants are present.

The April 2022 BMJ paper recommended being open about the condition to others so they can support you in avoiding major triggers. And remember that parosmia severity can fluctuate and make you feel worse some days than others. These fluctuations even out eventually.

Many individuals with PTSD, however, report that trauma-related odors are particularly potent reminders of past traumatic events (e.g. odors associated with explosions or “burning” materials).

Parosmia is a distorted smell perception in the presence of an odorant stimulus. Phantosmia is an olfactory hallucination perceived when no odorants are present. Both the olfactory distortions are typically described as unpleasant (rotten, sewage, or burn smell) (4).

Various neuropsychiatric disorders (eg depression, seasonal affective disorder, bipolar disorder ) have been linked to hyposmia. It has also been shown that patients with schizophrenia or acute major depressive disorder have not only decreased olfactory sensitivity but also reduced olfactory bulb volumes.

Phantosmia is not usually a cause for concern, and it often clears up by itself. It can also be a symptom of a more serious condition, so people experiencing phantom smells should see their doctor to check for underlying conditions or complications. The best treatment will depend on the cause of phantosmia.

Phantom Smell: Sinus Infection

The phantom smell usually goes away on its own in a few weeks or months. Your doctor might suggest that you rinse your sinuses with a saltwater solution.

Does Covid make you smell things that aren't there? ›

While most patients recover from this, some report an unpleasant new symptom following COVID-19 infection called parosmia. It's a condition where otherwise normal smells now smell and taste unpleasant or even disgusting.

Olfactory retraining is the process of retraining your nose to smell. It involves smelling strong scents (citrus, cloves, eucalyptus) every day while thinking about what they smell like to try to help reform normal responses to your nose and brain. Research has shown it can improve parosmia in long COVID patients.

Nasal polyps are painless, benign growths that form in the nasal passages and sinuses. They can cause smell problems such as phantosmia, as well as nasal congestion and nosebleeds.

#3 Phantom Smells

Phantom smells (phantosmia) are a rare type of migraine aura. Aura often causes problems with vision and happens before the headache phase of a migraine attack. However, aura can also cause a person to hallucinate scents.