In schizophrenia, the voices the people hear may be internal or external. Internal voices are those that a person hears inside his own mind, while external voices project as if another person is before them and is talking to them. Sometimes the sufferers talk back to the voices to stop it from recurring.
The auditory hallucinations experienced by people with schizophrenia are phenomenologically diverse. One dimension on which the sounds and voices vary is their perceived location. Although always perceived as if other-generated, they may be heard as coming from some external location or from inside the head.
In fact, an estimated 70% to 80% of people with schizophrenia hear voices. 1 These voices can call your name, argue with you, threaten you, come from inside your head or from outside sources, and can begin suddenly as well as grow stronger over time.
There can be “voices that are more thought-like,” says Jones, “voices that sound like non-human entities, voices that are perceived as the direct communication of a message, rather than something you're actually hearing.” Voices aren't always voices, either. They can sound more like a murmur, a rustle or a beeping.
Common Causes of a Schizophrenia Relapse
Not taking medication regularly or as prescribed is by far the most common cause of schizophrenia relapse. Persistent use of drugs or alcohol and criticism from caregivers are next on the list.
Research suggests a combination of physical, genetic, psychological and environmental factors can make a person more likely to develop the condition. Some people may be prone to schizophrenia, and a stressful or emotional life event might trigger a psychotic episode.
People with schizophrenia experience psychosis, which means they can have serious problems with thinking clearly, emotions, and knowing what is real and what is not. This can include hearing or seeing things that are not there (hallucinations), and having very strange beliefs that are abnormal or not true (delusions).
Schizophrenia usually involves delusions (false beliefs), hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that don't exist), unusual physical behavior, and disorganized thinking and speech. It is common for people with schizophrenia to have paranoid thoughts or hear voices.
People with schizophrenia usually experience psychotic symptoms, which means they may have problems thinking clearly and are unable to differentiate what is real and not. This may include seeing or hearing things that are not there (hallucinations) and having strange beliefs that are not true (delusions).
Speech may be mildly disorganized or completely incoherent and incomprehensible. Bizarre behavior may take the form of childlike silliness, agitation, or inappropriate appearance, hygiene, or conduct.
Some people with schizophrenia appear to talk to themselves as they respond to the voices. People with schizophrenia believe that the hallucinations are real. Disordered thoughts. Thoughts may become jumbled or blocked.
They are as real as hearing a person in the same room speaking (and indeed research carried out by scientists has shown that the parts of the brain that are activated by hearing real speech, i.e. for detecting speech and generating language, are also active when voice hearers hear the voices coming from inside their ...
Unfortunately, most people with schizophrenia are unaware that their symptoms are warning signs of a mental disorder. Their lives may be unraveling, yet they may believe that their experiences are normal. Or they may feel that they're blessed or cursed with special insights that others can't see.
People with schizophrenia have trouble inferring other people's mental states. Eye-gaze direction is a ubiquitous social cue that we use to direct attention and infer what other people are thinking, what their intentions are.
Auditory hallucinations, “hearing voices,” are the most common in schizophrenia and related disorders. Disorganized thinking and speech refer to thoughts and speech that are jumbled and/or do not make sense. For example, the person may switch from one topic to another or respond with an unrelated topic in conversation.
Never tell your loved one that their symptoms are “not true,” “not real,” “imaginary,” or all in their head. Aim to be nonjudgmental. Try to avoid judgment or negativity about their experiences or perceptions. Don't pressure them to talk.
People who have psychotic episodes are often totally unaware their behaviour is in any way strange or that their delusions or hallucinations are not real. They may recognise delusional or bizarre behaviour in others, but lack the self-awareness to recognise it in themselves.
People with schizophrenia experience difficulties in remembering their past and envisioning their future. However, while alterations of event representation are well documented, little is known about how personal events are located and ordered in time.