Hearing Voices in Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a mental illness that can cause people to hear voices that others cannot. These voices can be a variety of things, including repetitive sounds, mean comments, or even orders to harm oneself. While auditory hallucinations are a common symptom of schizophrenia, they can also occur in people with other mental illnesses, such as bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and schizoaffective disorder.

Types of Auditory Hallucinations in Schizophrenia

The types of auditory hallucinations that people with schizophrenia experience can vary widely. Some people may hear only a few voices, while others may hear many. The voices can be male or female, familiar or unfamiliar, and they can come from inside or outside the head.

Common types of auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia include: * Repetitive, screeching sounds suggestive of rats * Painfully loud, thumping music themes * Voices of people whispering or yelling mean orders or comments * People talking about you as if you were not even present * Nonsensical Voices * Self-Harm Voices * Threatening Voices

Treatment for Schizophrenia

The treatment for auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia typically involves a combination of medications, therapy, and other procedures.

Medication: Antipsychotic medications are often the first line of treatment for schizophrenia and have been proven to rapidly decrease the severity of auditory hallucinations.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): When used in combination with medication, CBT can help reduce the emotional distress of hearing voices and help people develop skills to cope with and quiet the voices. For example, humming the "Happy Birthday" song or reading a paragraph backward when the voices begin.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS): Also known as repetitive TMS, this relatively non-invasive procedure involves placing a small magnetic device directly on the skull. It has been shown to reduce the frequency and severity of auditory hallucinations in people with schizophrenia.

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT): Considered a last-resort treatment for reducing the severity of auditory hallucinations, ECT involves the application of a brief electrical pulse to the scalp in order to produce a seizure.

Helping a Loved One With Schizophrenia

Coping with a loved one who is struggling with schizophrenia and hearing 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.

In order to support both yourself and your loved one, you can: Educate yourself about their condition. Learn as much as you can about schizophrenia in order to understand how it affects your loved one. This can help you recognize when symptoms are worsening and know more about what you can do to help.

Help them stick to their treatment. If you are in a caregiving role, it is important to work with your loved one's treatment team to make sure that they are getting the help that they need. You can encourage them to take their medication and assist them in getting to and from therapy and doctor's appointments.

Write down the details. Keep a journal where you can record upcoming appointments, symptoms, including their frequency, type, and severity, major life changes or sources of stress your loved one might be experiencing.

Manage your stress. Caring for yourself is also important. Practice good self-care and find ways to cope with stress. Relaxation strategies such as mindfulness, yoga, and deep breathing can be helpful.

How to Cope With Auditory Hallucinations

While auditory hallucinations often respond to treatment with antipsychotic medications, it is possible that a person might continue to hear voices despite treatment.

Coping mechanisms that people often try include attempting to drown out the hallucinations by listening to loud music, shouting back at the voices, or focusing on the voices. Unfortunately, research suggests these tactics are ineffective and often backfire.

Effective distraction techniques that can help people cope with hearing voices include: * Listening to lyrical, harmonic, slow-paced music at a low volume * Playing an instrument * Spending time with an animal * Watching non-distressing TV shows and paying attention to the voices of the performers * Making art * Reading quietly or aloud * Breathing exercises

A Word From Verywell

If your loved one is experiencing an auditory hallucination, you should not respond by arguing or insisting that it is not real. The best approach is to remain calm, try to be respectful, and contact your loved one's doctor. If your loved one is experiencing a psychotic episode or engaging in potentially dangerous behaviors, contact emergency services.

Auditory hallucinations can be distressing, but antipsychotic medications can often help reduce their frequency and severity. In addition to getting appropriate treatment, there are also distraction tactics that can help, such as reading, watching tv, and making art.