The medication does not necessarily make the voices go away, but it can make them seem more distant and less noticeable. Some anti-psychotics have serious side effects, such as movement disorders e. If you have been prescribed medication to help you cope with distressing voices, it is important not to stop taking this without the help of your care team. If you do wish to stop taking your medication, you should talk to your care team about devising a programme of gradual withdrawal.
Useful reading: Allen J. Ready to print A4 6p Trifold Brochure A4 version for home or office printing. Facebook Twitter. Frequently Asked Questions. Who are we and what do we do? What is the goal of Hearing the Voice? Hearing the Voice aims to develop a better understanding of the experience of hearing a voice when no one is speaking. Our goal is to increase understanding of voice-hearing by examining it from different academic perspectives, working with clinicians and other mental health professionals, and listening to people who have heard voices themselves.
There are many different aspects to our research. In addition to asking people what it is like to hear voices, we are investigating what happens to the information-processing mechanisms in the brain when someone has these experiences. We are also exploring the ways in which voice-hearing has been interpreted and represented in different cultures, religions and historical periods.
In the long term, we hope to use the results of these three areas of research to inform mental health policy and improve therapeutic practice in cases where people do find their voices distressing and clinical help is sought. How important is it to carry out research on this subject?
Voices are experienced by the majority of people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, a distressing and disorientating condition that is much maligned and poorly understood. Many people who have been diagnosed with other psychiatric conditions also experience voices, and some people hear voices and live comfortably without the need for psychiatric help. We hope that, by providing a better understanding of voice-hearing, our research will help to raise awareness among the public and health professionals, reduce stigma and discrimination, and ultimately be of benefit to people who hear voices and those who care for and about them.
How many people are involved and from which fields of experience? Our core research team, based at Durham University, consists of twenty academics from cognitive science, cultural studies, English literature, medical humanities, philosophy, psychiatry, psychology and theology. Our team also includes artists, voice-hearers, and members of survivor networks like the Hearing Voices Network and Intervoice. What is your relationship to the Hearing Voices Movement, which views voice-hearing as a meaningful human experience?
One of the key ideas behind our research, which we share with HVM, is the idea that we should move away from viewing hearing voices as a meaningless symptom of pathology. We also obviously share their anti-stigma agenda, and their commitment to providing support for people who hear distressing voices that is empowering and recovery focused.
Personality disorder by clicking here. Dissociation and dissociative disorders by clicking here. Depression by clicking here. How do I get help if I am hearing voices? You should be assessed quickly. A secondary mental health team will usually be called the: early intervention team EIT community mental health team CMHT , or crisis team.
You can ask your GP for their details. You can call NHS Use an internet search engine. How can social services help me? For example, you may need support so that you can: get out of the house, keep in touch with friends and family, get a job or take part in education, clean your house, prepare meals or go shopping, keep safe, manage your money, take part in leisure activities, or contribute to society e.
What other help is available? Charities In some areas, charities will support people who hear voices. Self-help There are things that you can do to help manage your mental health. What causes someone to hear voices? Life experiences You may hear voices as a way to cope with difficult experiences.
These include: stress, anger or anxiety, drugs and alcohol, homelessness, delirium. This is a state of mental confusion which may follow a serious physical illness or an operation, grief, divorce or separation, tiredness. Genetics Research does suggest that mental illness can run in families. Research suggests that changes to your brain chemistry can cause you to hear voices.
What treatment should the NHS offer me? Medication Antipsychotic medication can help with hearing voices. Talking therapies There are different types of talking therapies recommended for people who hear voices. What is CBT? CBT is a talking treatment. It is there to try and help you to: understand links between your thoughts, feeling and actions, understand your symptoms and how they affect your day to day life, look at your perceptions, beliefs and reasoning.
CBT aims to: help you to be aware of signs that your thoughts, feelings or behaviours are changing, give you a way of coping with your symptoms reduce stress, and improve your functioning. Family intervention Family intervention is where you and your family work with mental health professionals to help you to manage your relationships. Family intervention can be used to: learn more about your symptoms, improve communication among family members.
Family intervention could help you and your family to: learn more about your symptoms, understand what is happening to you, improve communication with each other, know how to support each other, think positively, become more independent, be able to solve problems with each other, know how to manage a crisis, and improve mental wellbeing. Art therapy You may get art therapy if your voices keep coming back. Art therapy aims to help you to: learn new ways of relating to other people, show how you are feeling, accept your feelings, and understand your feelings.
Therapy for trauma If you have experienced trauma, your voices may be part of your way of dealing with this. You can find more information about: Antipsychotics by clicking here. Choice and managing problems by clicking here. Talking therapy by clicking here. Fiona's story. Negative voices It can be common to hear negative, critical voices or unkind voices. This can have an impact on your sense of self-worth and motivation.
Thought processes Voices can interrupt the thought process and make it difficult to concentrate. Relationships Hearing voices can have a negative effect on relationships. Sleep Voices can interrupt your sleep. Increased risk of suicide People who hear voices are a higher risk of suicide. Problems with treatment What if I am not happy with my care or treatment?
If you are not happy with your treatment you can: talk to your doctor about your treatment options, ask for a second opinion, get an advocate to help you speak to your doctor, contact Patient Advice and Liaison Service PALS and see whether they can help, or make a complaint.
There is more information about these options below. Treatment options You should first speak to your doctor about your treatment. Second opinion A second opinion means that you would like a different doctor to give their opinion about what treatment you should have. Advocacy An advocate is independent from the mental health service. They give information and support to patients. Managing the voices What can I do to manage the voices? Support groups You could join a support group.
You can find out what is available in your area, or get help to set up your own support group if you follow this link: www. Taking control of the voices When you hear voices, you could: Talk back to them Distract yourself Keep a diary Use a mobile app Talk back to them You may find that talking back to your voices helps you take control.
How many voices you have? How often they talk to you, or each other? What are they saying? How they make you feel What you do to cope with each voice? A diary may also help you to talk about your voices with your therapist. Peer support through the NHS Your doctor may offer you peer support.
They should be able to offer advice and support with: side effects, recognising and coping with symptoms, what to do in a crisis, meeting other people who can support you, and recovery. Self-management techniques Managing your condition on your own is called self-help. You can try some of the suggestions below to manage or cope with upsetting or negative voices: Speak to a supportive, friend, family member or someone else who hears voices.
Try relaxation techniques, mindfulness and breathing exercises. Do things that you find relaxing such as having a bath Try a complementary therapy such as meditation, massage, reflexology or aromatherapy. Stick to a sleep pattern, eat well and look after yourself. Set small goals such as going out for a small amount of time everyday.
Reward yourself when you achieve a goal. Do regular exercise such as walking, swimming, yoga or cycling. You can find out more about: Recovery by clicking here. Complementary and alternative treatments by clicking here. Risks and complications What risks and complications can hearing voices cause?
More Information Information for family, carers, friends If you are a carer, friend or relative of someone who hears voices, you can get support.
How can I get support? You can do the following. Speak to your GP about medication and talking therapies for yourself. For more information about family intervention look at the previous section 'What treatment should the NHS offer me? Ask for a carers assessment. Join a carers service. They are free and available in most areas. Join a carers support group for emotional and practical support. Or set up your own. What is a carers assessment? How can I support the person I care for?
Read information about hearing voices or psychosis. Ask the person you support to tell you what their symptoms are and if they have any self-management techniques that you could help them with. Encourage them to see a GP if you are worried about their mental health. Ask to see a copy of their care plan. They should have a care plan if they are supported by a care coordinator. Help them to manage their finances.
What is a care plan? You can find out more about: Supporting someone with a mental illness by clicking here. Getting help in a crisis by clicking here. The study is still ongoing, but some early conclusions are that the difference between these internal states is very simple. Fernyhough thinks that his theory will apply to some types of both experiences, but not all.
Some hallucinations have acoustic properties, as if the speaker is in the room with you. Sometimes the voice has an accent or a timbre or a pitch. It comes from some other author or agency. And that's what can be, as you can imagine, very distressing. Bringing relief to that distress will require research into both "normal" and pathological forms of inner speech. Given the developmental connections between outward and inner speech, it might make sense that the same brain areas would be activated.
But Fernyhough tells me these initial studies had some serious flaws. The process is labor-intensive, as people often need to be coached to effectively capture the details of their inner experience.
Listen to a podcast by Hearing the Voice, in which we hear testimonies collected by Elisabeth Svanholmer voice-hearer and mental health trainer of how people have shared their experience of hearing voices. Over time, Fernyhough believes the end result is much more valuable.
Fernyhough says there was a stark contrast. We found activations much further back in the brain, in areas that you would associate with speech perception and understanding, not speech production.
You may have experienced an auditory hallucination. Or maybe it sounded like a stranger, striking up a conversation or commenting on your choice of clothing. However the voice sounded, you might have felt a little confused, possibly even concerned about your mental health.
Yet auditory hallucinations are more common than many people realize, especially among children and adolescents. Research suggests up to 10 percent of people will experience them at some point in life.
In fact, research explains that auditory hallucinations not only have various causes, but they can also occur without any underlying condition. The authors of that report urge mental health professionals to avoid diagnosing schizophrenia, or any psychotic disorder , when someone reports hearing voices without other symptoms.
Other research suggests voices that occur with mental health conditions tend too:. A small study suggests cultural background could play a part in the type of voice you hear.
In a sample of 20 people who reported hearing voices and met criteria for schizophrenia, the study found:. Wondering if intrusive thoughts count as auditory hallucinations? Typically, no. Auditory hallucinations can also show up as a symptom of some medical and mental health concerns. Schizophrenia and related conditions typically show up in early adulthood.
Other common symptoms include:. Learn more about schizophrenia symptoms and potential treatments. A sleep disorder refers to any condition that regularly prevents you from getting the amount of sleep you need. Your brain and body need sleep to function properly , and regular sleep deprivation can have serious health consequences.
Some people hear voices after experiencing a traumatic event. PTSD often causes extreme physical and emotional distress, so it can have a big impact on daily life.
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