What does it mean when someone says they hear voices in their head?

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.

What to do when someone says they hear voices in their head?

Here are some suggestions:

1. Ignore the voices, block them out or distract yourself.
2. Give them times when you agree to pay attention to them and times when you will not.
3. Tell them that you would like to wait before you do what they say.
4. Stand up to them.

What part of the brain is active when schizophrenics hear voices?

In schizophrenia, the right superior temporal region has repeatedly been associated with hallucinations in anatomical and functional brain imaging studies.

Can you hear voices in your head with schizophrenia?

Auditory hallucinations, or hearing voices, is a common symptom in people living with schizophrenia. 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 via outside sources, and can begin suddenly and grow stronger over time.

What disorder makes you hear voices in your head?

More in Disorders. Auditory hallucinations, or hearing voices, is a common symptom in people living with schizophrenia. In fact, an estimated 60 to 90 percent of people with schizophrenia hear voices.

Do people with no mental illness hear voices?

There is now evidence that some people who do not have any mental ill health may also hear voices during their life, and their voices are often benign or friendly. The evidence for this is still emerging and the estimates of exactly how many people hear voices ranges very widely.

Why do people with a psychotic illness hear voices?

It is therefore important for the doctors to eliminate this as a cause in the diagnostic process. But for people with a psychotic illness, the most common experience is to hear voices that are persecutory or nasty ones that may insult, ridicule or abuse them.