Is hearing voices in your head normal?

While hearing voices can be a symptom of some mental health problems, not everyone who hears voices has a mental illness. Hearing voices is actually quite a common experience: around one in ten of us will experience it at some point in our lives. Hearing voices is sometimes called an ‘auditory hallucination’.

What causes hearing voices in your head?

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.

What to do if someone is hearing voices?

Ignore the voices, block them out or distract yourself. For example, you could try listening to music on headphones, exercising, cooking or knitting. You might have to try a few different distractions to find what works for you. Give them times when you agree to pay attention to them and times when you will not.

What does it mean when someone hears voices?

Hearing voices may be a symptom of a mental illness. A doctor may diagnose you with a condition such as ‘psychosis’ or ‘bi-polar’. But you can hear voices without having a mental illness. Research shows that many people hear voices or have other hallucinations.

Why didn’t Margaret believe voices were coming from inside her head?

Margaret didn’t believe voices were coming from ‘inside her head’ as they sounded too realistic,… To start with they were always outside, so if I was in a building I could hear them outside the window. That’s how they started]

Do you hear voices that others don’t hear or see?

This section is mostly about people’s experiences of hearing voices and seeing things that others around them don’t hear or see. ‘Hallucinations’, as they are often called, are what people hear, see, feel – or even smell and taste – that don’t appear to be sensed by other people.

What does it mean when you hear voices in your head?

Hearing voices and mental illness. Hearing voices or auditory hallucinations can be a common symptom of a mental illnesses such as schizophrenia or psychosis. Not everyone who hears voices is unwell and there are many different ways to hope with this symptom. Find our more about diagnosis, treatment and support.

Is hearing voices a sign of mental illness?

Hearing voices is not always a sign of mental illness. Treatments for hearing voices can include medication, talking therapies and peer support. What does the term ‘hearing voices’ mean?