Due to their repetitive, incessant, annoying quality, the voices can make people profoundly distracted and overwhelmed to the point of choosing to follow their orders. Voices giving orders to harm oneself or others need to be approached with great caution. This type of auditory hallucination can be extremely frightening as the orders tend to be screamed non-stop. Some people hear persuasive, repetitive voices by a secret organization, for example, that threaten death or harm.
Again, these voices are frightening and increase a person's risk of self-harm or violence. Treatment for schizophrenic voices typically requires a combination of medications, therapy , and other procedures for those who are treatment-resisted. Coping with a loved one who is struggling with schizophrenic voices can take a toll—but try not to lose hope. With the right treatment, your loved one may be able to control the frequency and severity of these voices.
You also may consider family therapy, which can help you and your loved one recognize these auditory hallucinations and develop strategies to better cope.
Learn the best ways to manage stress and negativity in your life. Hugdahl K. World J Psychiatry. Auditory hallucinations across the lifespan: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychol Med. Luhrman, T. Living with voices. American Scholar, Longden, E. It maybe their belief that the voices mean that they are possessed.
You can get help from:. You can speak to your GP about your concerns. They will be able to talk to you about treatment options and coping strategies. But you should listen to them. Make sure that you understand the pros and cons of your treatment options before you make a decision. Your GP should not give you antipsychotic medication without first talking to a psychiatrist. Your GP should refer you to a secondary mental health team if this is the first time that you have heard voices and asked for help.
In some areas of the country you can refer yourself to secondary mental health teams. They are NHS teams who help people that hear voices.
To find your local secondary mental health team you can try the following. Your local authority is responsible for your social care and support. The social services team are part of the local authority. If you need help and support to look after yourself then you can have an assessment by social services.
For example, you may need support so that you can:. In some areas, charities will support people who hear voices. This may be through support groups where you can talk to other people who have mental health issues.
Or there may be a different service available, such as employment or isolation support. You can look on their websites to see what support they offer in your area. If you would like us to look for you please contact our advice line on and let us know what sort of support you are looking for. There are things that you can do to help manage your mental health. Nobody knows exactly what causes people to hear voices.
It is thought that many people hear voices, either partly or completely because of life experiences. Which are largely out of our control.
You may hear voices as a way to cope with difficult experiences. In particular abuse or other traumatic experiences. Other life experiences can make you hear voices or make your voices worse. These include:. Research does suggest that mental illness can run in families. If you decide not to take medication you should still be offered talking therapy. NICE produce guidelines for how health professionals should treat certain conditions. You can download these from their website at www.
Antipsychotic medication can help with hearing voices. Medication may not make symptoms go away but it can make voices seem distant or less noticeable. There are lots of different antipsychotics to try because people respond to different medications. You might need to try more than one before you find one that helps. The main negative with medication is that it can have bad side effects. A common side effect is weight gain. Cognitive behavioural therapy CBT.
CBT can help you to manage your voices and to notice any patterns. This can help you learn what is your trigger for the voices. And how to cope with them. For example, for some people stress can trigger voices.
CBT can help you find ways to deal with your stress. Voices may say things that you think about yourself. CBT can help you be more positive about yourself which can help reduce your negative voices.
Family intervention is where you and your family work with mental health professionals to help you to manage your relationships. This should be offered to people who you live with or who you are in close contact with. The support that you and your family are given will depend on what problems there are and what preferences you all have. This could be group family sessions or individual sessions.
Your family should get support for 3 months to 1 year and should have at least 10 planned sessions. You may get art therapy if your voices keep coming back.
Art therapy may be more useful if you have depressive symptoms, such as withdrawing from people or losing interest in things that you used to enjoy. You will have arts therapy with a therapist. It will usually be in a group. It is there to mix different communication techniques with creativity. Art therapy aims to help you to:. If you have experienced trauma, your voices may be part of your way of dealing with this.
This is something which can be treated with counselling or psychotherapy. The therapist will help you to understand the root causes of your voices.
They will explore ways to over-come and control difficult voices. The NHS do not usually offer counselling or psychotherapy to people who are hearing voices. But they should listen to you if you ask for it. Especially if other therapies like CBT, family intervention and arts therapies, are not available locally. Therapy helped me to understand that the negative male voice was part of me.
I now show respect to the voice and he is now more likely to show me respect. What this means is that I am being more caring and forgiving towards myself.
It can be common to hear negative, critical voices or unkind voices. In extreme cases voices can instruct people to harm themselves or others. Voices can interrupt the thought process and make it difficult to concentrate.
They can be overwhelming and intrusive, which can make it difficult to communicate or focus on things you are trying to do. Hearing voices can have a negative effect on relationships. Support such as family intervention and support groups can help your friends and relatives to understand you and how to best support you. Voices can interrupt your sleep. This can cause problems with getting enough sleep. Not getting enough sleep can make you feel more emotional.
For example, you may feel more irritable or angry. Lack of sleep can cause other health problems. If you feel that you want to harm yourself or other people, you should get help right away. You can do this by:. You should first speak to your doctor about your treatment. Explain why you are not happy with it. You could ask what other treatments you could try. Tell your doctor if there is a type of treatment that you would like to try. Doctors should listen to your preference.
If you are not given this treatment, ask your doctor to explain why it is not suitable for you. A second opinion means that you would like a different doctor to give their opinion about what treatment you should have.
You can also ask for a second opinion if you disagree with your diagnosis. But your doctor should listen to your reason for wanting a second opinion. An advocate is independent from the mental health service. They are free to use. They can be useful if you find it difficult to get your views heard.
There are different types of advocates available. Younger children may even have an imaginary friend they want to sit next to at the table and have conversations with. These examples are usually just part of the normal growth of a child. They can most often be managed with understanding and gentle reassurance on the part of parents. Hallucinations are when one has heard, seen, or experienced something that is not there.
They can occur in any of our senses including sound, sight, touch, taste, and smell. An auditory hallucination is when one has heard something that is not there.
It is the most common type of hallucination. A visual hallucination is when one has seen something that is not there. While some people find it most helpful to ignore the voices, talking back could help you accept them and regain some control.
Becoming more mindful in your day-to-day life can also help. Even if you hear a voice occasionally, increased mindfulness can make it easier to acknowledge it and let it go. Taking care of yourself and making time for relaxation can help boost well-being. This can, in turn, ease the effects of stress and mental health symptoms.
Self-care might include things like:. Hobbies and other enjoyable activities can also offer a distraction from voices and other sources of stress. Music , another great relaxation strategy, can do more than help ease stress.
Some people also find it helps tune voices out. If you hear voices that encourage you to hurt yourself or anyone else, get support as soon as possible to stay safe. A doctor or other healthcare professional can offer more guidance when you experience physical symptoms rather than mental ones. Experiencing auditory hallucinations may not automatically mean you have a mental health condition, but it can still feel unsettling and frightening. Crystal Raypole has previously worked as a writer and editor for GoodTherapy.
Her fields of interest include Asian languages and literature, Japanese translation, cooking, natural sciences, sex positivity, and mental health. Hallucinations are sensations that appear real but are created by your mind. They can affect all of your senses. Learn about the types, causes, and…. Intrusive thoughts can be unexpected and upsetting.
Understand why we have intrusive thoughts, when they may become a problem, and what to do to make…. Behavioral therapy is an umbrella term for therapies that treat mental health disorders.
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