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.
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.
Voice hearing is often called auditory verbal hallucinations in the research literature. Hearing a voice or voices is not an uncommon occurrence with between 0.6% and 84% of the population hearing voices that other people don't.
Patients who suffer from schizophrenia often have auditory hallucinations. They hear voices that are not there. Many times these hallucinations say things like “You are a terrible person, you are lazy, you are a waste of time” and other derogatory or critical remarks.
What is an internal monologue? Whether you refer to your internal voice as your inner dialogue, self-talk, internal speech, or stream of consciousness, an internal monologue is the voice inside your head that you can “hear” when you think.
Say Stop
When you notice it talking at you simply say “stop” and then repeat a positive affirmation such as “I can do this. I am confident. I am worthy, or I am strong.” Which ever works for you. But keep repeating it until the inner voice disappears.
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.
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.
This symptom, which afflicts more than 80% of patients, is among the most prevalent and distressing symptoms of schizophrenia. Patients “hear voices” speaking to them or about them without anyone actually being there.
A psychotic episode or disorder will result in the presence of one or more of the following five categories: delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thought, disorganized behavior, negative symptoms.
The exact causes of schizophrenia are unknown. 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.
Auditory hallucinations are an example of a symptom that may lead many to fear a more serious disorder. While anxiety doesn't cause these hallucinations on the same level as schizophrenia, it can cause what's known as "simple" auditory hallucinations that some people find extremely frightening.
An inner voice can help people understand the world and engage in it. But, sometimes, that inner monologue turns negative or becomes fixated on a thought. This obsession can be a sign of something else. “Some of that ruminating that people can do is more of an anxiety process,” Gallagher said.
For the adult affected by ADHD, the negative comments from a lifetime of struggling with ADHD symptoms can lead to harsh internal monologues. Self-compassion becomes a skill, as the adult learns to accept mistakes and develop resilience. ADHD is a complex brain disorder affecting executive function.
An inner monologue offers many benefits such as enhanced problem-solving, productivity, self-reflection, and critical thinking skills. It can make you more resilient against setbacks and lower your stress levels. On the other hand, critical inner voices can affect confidence and self-esteem negatively.
Hearing voices is sometimes called an 'auditory hallucination'.
For example, Hurlburt estimates that between 30% and 50% of people frequently experience an inner monologue.
Hurlburt would argue that only about 25 percent of people have an inner monologue. We're just not great at articulating our own mental landscape, he says. Instead, Hurlburt thinks many people visualize their thoughts or experience what he calls "sensory awareness."
According to a new study, internal speech makes use of a system that is mostly employed for processing external speech, which is why we can “hear” our inner voice.