Hallucinations and hearing voices (2024)

FAQs

Hallucinations and hearing voices? ›

Hallucinations are common in people with schizophrenia, and are usually experienced as hearing voices. Hallucinations can be frightening, but there's usually an identifiable cause. For example, they can occur as a result of: taking illegal drugs(external link opens in a new window / tab) or alcohol.

Mental health problems – you may hear voices as a symptom of some mental health problems, including psychosis, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder or severe depression.

They can happen if you have migraines, a high temperature or just as you wake up or fall asleep. They can also be caused by an infection, brain tumour or confusion (delirium), especially in older people.

Wondering if intrusive thoughts count as auditory hallucinations? Typically, no. Intrusive thoughts tend to show up as distinct thoughts, so you “hear” them in your own mental voice just as you would any other thought. With auditory hallucinations, you hear the voice of someone else or a distinct sound.

If what you heard really doesn't have a source, it might be an “auditory hallucination.” It can range from a simple sound to hearing music so clearly, it's hard to believe there's no band or radio nearby. Often, what people hear is voices. Sometimes, they're mean, critical voices.

The loudness of it all makes it an extremely intense experience, like being at the cinema with the sound booming all around you. Sometimes if feels directed at me and at other times the shouting feels intrusive, like somebody is ranting and raving at nothing or no one in particular.

Auditory hallucinations might be: Repetitive, screeching sounds suggestive of rats. Painfully loud, thumping music. Voices of people whispering or yelling mean orders or comments.

Common descriptions of anxiety hallucinations include: You see or hear something that isn't real. You were initially convinced you saw or heard something, but upon closer investigation, what you saw or heard didn't occur. You have a taste of a particular food, yet you didn't eat anything that would cause that taste.

In most people with schizophrenia, symptoms generally start in the mid- to late 20s, though it can start later, up to the mid-30s. Schizophrenia is considered early onset when it starts before the age of 18. Onset of schizophrenia in children younger than age 13 is extremely rare.

For example, you could try exercising, cooking or knitting. You might have to try a few different distractions to find what works for you. Listen to other things. Some people find listening to music, audiobooks or podcasts a helpful way to distract from voices.

Can you hear voices and not be crazy? ›

Hearing voices may be a symptom of a mental illness. A doctor may diagnose you 'psychosis' or 'bipolar disorder'. But you can hear voices without having a mental health diagnosis. Research shows that many people hear voices or experience other types of hallucinations.

Stage 1. Also referred to as the comforting stage,a person may begin to experience a sense of anxiety, loneliness or guilt that can cause them to focus obsessively on thoughts that will relieve those feelings. However, the sufferer realizes the thoughts are their own and finds that they can control them.

The two main types of auditory hallucinations are verbal (hearing voices) and hearing sounds or noises.

In many ways, intense anxiety can cause the feeling of going crazy - as though you are losing touch with reality. Sometimes this is nothing more than a feeling or thought. Other times this is caused by additional anxiety symptoms that resemble those of true psychosis. One such symptom is hallucinations.

There are many significant factors that can cause hearing voices. The major factors that contribute to this condition are stress, anxiety, depression, and traumatic experiences. In some cases, there might be environmental and genetic factors that cause such hearing of voices.

Doctors call them auditory hallucinations. It's as if someone is speaking to you, but they're not actually there. The voices feel very real and can be distracting and stressful. This can affect your overall quality of life.

The 3 main symptoms of psychosis are: hallucinations – where a person hears, sees and, in some cases, feels, smells or tastes things that do not exist outside their mind but can feel very real to the person affected by them; a common hallucination is hearing voices.

What mental disorder makes you talk to yourself? Self-talk can be a symptom of a number of mental illnesses. It can be a sign of an anxiety disorder, depression, PTSD, or obsessive-compulsive disorder. More severe mental illnesses associated with self-talk include schizophrenia and psychosis.