Hearing voices, or auditory hallucinations, is a common experience for people living with schizophrenia. These hallucinations are a hybrid of conventional sound and the perception of thoughts, driven by an individual’s own interests. They can be clear, specific sounding voices or more abstract, often saying distressing things the person wouldn’t consciously think or want. Auditory hallucinations are considered one of the principal indicators when considering a diagnosis.
At least 70 of people diagnosed with schizophrenia have this symptom, and up to 10 of us have imagined hearing our names called. The exact cause of hearing voices in schizophrenia is currently thought to be sensitivity to stimuli, and audio thoughts without a source can be intimidating. New research advances the theory that those voices are echoes of a person’s own speech.
People with schizophrenia may be hearing their own voices in their heads, and the exact cause of hearing voices in schizophrenia is unknown. The brain is disrupted by an underlying brain disease (such as schizophrenia), and the brain creates these sounds in an attempt to compensate for it. When voices appear as a psychotic symptom, they may also be an indicator of other conditions such as bipolar disorder, schizo-affective disorder, or psychotic.
The article discusses the various types of auditory hallucinations experienced in schizophrenia, common treatments, ways to help, and effective coping tactics. Schizophrenic patients who experienced auditory hallucinations had abnormal tonotopic organization of the auditory cortex. Auditory hallucinations are often associated with schizophrenia and other mental health conditions, but they can happen for several other reasons, such as being so realistic that they can sound like specific spots.
In summary, hearing voices is a common symptom for people living with schizophrenia, and it is considered a key indicator when considering a diagnosis. It is important to seek support from supportive individuals and seek professional help if needed.
| Article | Description | Site |
|---|---|---|
| Schizophrenia: Hearing Voices and How to Manage Them | If you have schizophrenia, hearing voices is a common symptom. Learn about treatment options and self-help tips you can use to manage them. | webmd.com |
| Decoding The Voices Of Schizophrenia | It turns out that people with schizophrenia are actually hearing their own voices in their heads. While the exact cause of ‘hearing voices’ in schizophrenia is … | mentalhealth.com |
| Understanding voices – Living With Schizophrenia | Hearing voices, or auditory hallucinations as psychiatrists call them, is a common experience for people living with schizophrenia. | livingwithschizophreniauk.org |
📹 Anderson Cooper tries a schizophrenia simulator
CNN’s Anderson Cooper tries to go through a normal day using a schizophrenia simulator. More from CNN at http://www.cnn.com/ …
How Do You Quiet A Schizophrenic Voice?
When experiencing auditory hallucinations, such as hearing voices common in schizophrenia, various coping strategies can be employed. These include talking back to the voices, distracting oneself, keeping a diary, or using a mobile app. Some people find setting daily times to engage with the voices helpful, while others may use medication, although efficacy can vary. Recent studies suggest rTMS may reduce hallucinations by lowering neural activity in specific brain areas.
Talking therapies, like counseling, support groups, and cognitive behavioral therapy, can also be beneficial. Engaging in activities, such as listening to music or being in social settings, can help drown out the voices. Relaxation techniques like yoga and mindfulness may ease symptoms, as stress can exacerbate them. Research continues into the mechanisms behind these hallucinations and potential treatments, with scientists like Professor Guangying Wu exploring novel approaches. Overall, support and treatment can empower individuals with schizophrenia to manage their symptoms effectively.
What Do The Voices Heard By People With Schizophrenia Say?
An estimated 70 to 80% of individuals with schizophrenia experience auditory hallucinations, often characterized by hearing voices that may call their names, argue, threaten, or seem to emanate from inside or outside sources. These voices can start suddenly and may become more pronounced over time. Auditory hallucinations are so prevalent among those with schizophrenia that they serve as a key diagnostic criterion. Research suggests these voices may be echoes of the individual's own speech.
Typically, sufferers hear voices that are distinct and can be both distracting and stressful, leading to harmful commands in some cases. Up to 80% of individuals with schizophrenia report these experiences, and about 75% experience them as core symptoms of their condition. The voices can engage in discussion about the person, command them to execute tasks, or simply mutter incoherently. Moreover, this phenomenon is not exclusive to schizophrenia, as it is also observed in other psychiatric disorders.
Scientists believe that auditory hallucinations stem from the brain's difficulty in distinguishing between internal thoughts and external sounds, creating a perception that someone is speaking when no one is present.
What Triggers A Schizophrenic Episode?
Voices experienced by individuals with schizophrenia can greatly affect their mental health, often urging self-harm or suicide. Schizophrenia is a chronic brain disorder marked by psychosis, making it difficult for individuals to differentiate reality from imagination. Symptoms typically emerge between ages 16 and 30, but the exact cause is still unknown. Diagnosis is done through assessments rather than specific tests. Various risk factors contribute to the illness, including genetics, brain chemistry, environmental aspects, and life stressors, although stress alone doesn't cause it.
Schizophrenia involves three phases: prodromal, active, and residual, with the active phase often being the most intense. Symptoms can vary widely, with some people having distinct psychotic episodes while others experience chronic symptoms. Common triggers for episodes include stressful life events, such as relationship breakdowns or abuse. Research indicates a combination of genetic vulnerability, brain chemistry imbalances, and environmental influences play roles in onset. Treatment is crucial soon after initial psychotic episodes to improve long-term outcomes.
Can A Person With Schizophrenia Hear Nasty Voices?
Persecutory or negative voices are among the most prevalent and distressing symptoms experienced by individuals with schizophrenia, affecting up to 80% of those diagnosed. These auditory hallucinations, often characterized as nasty or abusive, can lead to significant distress for the sufferer. Hearing voices isn't uncommon; it is a central indicator in diagnosing schizophrenia. Approximately 75% of individuals with schizophrenia report experiencing verbal hallucinations, which may manifest as multiple voices that are male, repetitive, commanding, and interactive, allowing the person to engage with them by asking questions.
Additionally, voice hearers may confuse these hallucinations with their own thoughts due to the blurring of reality. While auditory hallucinations can also be symptoms of other mental health conditions such as PTSD, bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety, the experience of hearing persecutory voices is particularly pronounced in schizophrenia. Understanding this symptom's impact can help relatives and caregivers provide better support.
Fortunately, there are management strategies available for those struggling with this symptom, emphasizing that acknowledging and addressing these experiences is crucial for the mental well-being of individuals living with schizophrenia.
Do People With Schizophrenia Have 'Hearing Voices'?
Schizophrenia often manifests through auditory hallucinations, primarily characterized by individuals hearing voices. It is estimated that 70-80% of those diagnosed with schizophrenia experience this symptom, making it a principal marker for the disorder. Auditory hallucinations can feel as if the voices originate from within the mind or external sources, such as the television. While these experiences vary, they can lead to delusions, where beliefs may become distorted and influenced by the hallucinations.
The phenomenon of hearing voices is notably prevalent among individuals with schizophrenia; some researchers suggest these voices could be echoes of one's speech due to disrupted brain signaling. Auditory hallucinations are distressing and particularly challenging, and many experiencing this symptom can find relief through treatment and support. Despite the stigma, hearing voices is a recognized aspect of schizophrenia and not a reflection of personal failure.
Understanding this dimension of the illness is crucial for empathy and effective management. With the right interventions, individuals with schizophrenia can learn to cope effectively with these symptoms and improve their quality of life.
Do People With Schizophrenia Know The Voices Aren'T Real?
People with schizophrenia often experience auditory hallucinations, commonly referred to as "hearing voices." These voices, which may feel very real and can be distressing, are primarily echoes of their own subvocal speech, though individuals may not recognize them as such. Auditory hallucinations affect around 70–80% of those diagnosed with schizophrenia and can vary in nature, from vulgar and critical to neutral or pleasant. Schizophrenia is characterized by a range of symptoms including hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking.
The misconception that all who hear voices have schizophrenia is incorrect, as there are various causes for auditory hallucinations. While hearing voices is often associated with severe mental illness, it is essential to understand that not all individuals experiencing such symptoms have schizophrenia. Diagnosis requires a psychiatrist's assessment, as schizophrenia involves a complex interplay of positive (hallucinations, delusions) and negative symptoms (lack of emotion, motivation). Education and awareness are crucial for understanding the realities of those affected by this mental health condition.
Can Schizophrenic Voices Be Friendly?
Hearing voices, known as auditory hallucinations, is a common symptom for individuals with schizophrenia, often regarded as a primary diagnostic criterion. While some people may experience these voices as friendly and pleasant, a significant majority describe them as rude, critical, abusive, or annoying. The voices can comment on activities occurring, discuss the hearer's thoughts, offer instructions, or speak directly to them. Many individuals report distress from malevolent or persecutory voices, which can severely impact their quality of life.
It is estimated that up to 80% of those diagnosed with schizophrenia experience these auditory hallucinations. Current theories suggest that these voices represent the patient's inner thoughts, but they often perceive them as external and distinct, making the experience more unsettling. The nature of the voices can vary, from familiar sounds to murmurs, and can provoke anxiety, especially in isolation. Social support and positive reinforcement during interactions with these voices can lessen their impact.
Treatment options, including therapy and coping strategies, are available and can help manage the severity of these hallucinations. Though the majority of experiences with voices are negative, some individuals find their voices benign or supportive. Overall, understanding and addressing this phenomenon is crucial for those affected by schizophrenia.
What Do People With Schizophrenia See?
Schizophrenia is a serious mental health condition characterized by altered perceptions of reality, including hallucinations and delusions. Individuals may experience visual, auditory, tactile, or olfactory sensations that are not present, often perceiving loved ones or familiar figures no longer alive. Hallucinations can be distressing and may disrupt depth perception and distance recognition. While auditory hallucinations are common, some individuals also encounter a range of sensory illusions affecting sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste.
In addition to hallucinations, patients might exhibit delusions—false beliefs often centered around persecution—along with incoherent speech and unusual behaviors. Hallucinations and delusions are categorized as "positive" symptoms, indicating perceptions not typically found in healthy individuals. Schizophrenia affects thoughts, moods, and behaviors, leading to significant disconnection from reality, but the condition is treatable with medication and therapy. Understanding schizophrenia enhances awareness and empathy towards those affected by this complex illness, which impacts approximately 60 to 80% of patients through various sensory experiences.
What Do Bipolar Voices Sound Like?
The intensity of the experience can feel overwhelming, much like a loud cinema. The loud voices can feel directed or intrusive, resembling rants without specific audiences. In the context of bipolar disorder, individuals may experience auditory hallucinations—rapid, loud, and chaotic speech that is often disorganized or derogatory. This can manifest as different voices commenting on personal thoughts or feelings, causing distress and disrupting cognitive processes.
For instance, someone with bipolar disorder may not "hear" voices loudly but rather perceive an unsettling, raspy voice in their head, distinctly non-theirs. These voices can range from cruel and violent to fearful and whiny. It's essential for those with bipolar disorder to manage sleep effectively, as sleep disruption can exacerbate mood instability. Additionally, some individuals may experience noise intolerance or hyperacusis, where sounds perceived by the brain become overwhelming.
Auditory hallucinations, defined as hearing nonexistent sounds, vary in frequency and intensity. It is noted that approximately one in four individuals with bipolar disorder may encounter such symptoms, which can occur during mania or depressive phases. Treatments typically involve medication, therapy, and support, thereby addressing both the auditory experiences and other challenges associated with the condition.
📹 What’s it like to live with #schizophrenia?
What’s it like to live with #schizophrenia? How well do existing medications work? Schizophrenia affects more than 21 million …
As someone who has to deal with hallucinations, I just want to thank everyone who tries to understand the struggle we go through on a daily basis. I would never expect someone to fully understand what it’s like, but the fact you’re trying actually helps us to not feel ashamed about what we go through, and helps with our healing process. Just my take on it, thank you ❤️
Several months back I was in a psych ward of the hospital for an eval because I was suicidal. There was someone else there in a separate room who was schizophrenic. I could hear his shouts and screams the entire night, and I felt so terrible for him. All I could think about was how exhausting it must be to have to live with a mind like that.
I’ve lived with schizophrenia for 15 years and this isn’t really what it’s like, for the most part. The voices are usually relevant to your situation and it’s usually only one at a time, but not always. When he was trying to make the boat, that’s usually what it’s like for me. Also, talking to other people tends to quiet the voices. Makes it easier to stay in touch with reality to talk to an actual person.
It’s like a group of people having a conversation in the back of your mind And the whole time they are judging the shit out of you and exploiting your weaknesses and insecurities, while one of them tries to stick up for you, and tell the others in the group to stop being so mean. They go back and forth judging, supporting, and arguing amongst each other. It’s like you exist for their entertainment
My father was severely schizophrenic and took his life around 3 weeks ago because it was too much for him. I know he is finally at peace and no longer suffering but damn I miss him so much. He always told me to watch this article but I haven’t gotten the chance to until now. To have a small insight of what was going on in his mind made me emotional. God, I wish I could have done something to help him.
As someone with this, I find this test both appreciated and ridiculous at the same time. I am glad the motive is to create understanding and empathy for people with it, but at the same time the test is so off base and tame it unintentionally borders on insulting in how it presents itself. While sufferers have it at varying degrees, speaking for myself what you really have to try to live with is far more hectic, fast paced and overlapping. And certainly not so calmly spoken to even when the test voices try to be at their most negative. Your intentions are good, but your test doesn’t come close to demonstrating what it’s like. A closer version would be try to imagine you’re in a party in a packed room and people all around you are in individual conversations, so you can hear them all going at once. Then imagine every conversation were actually statements about you and you can never leave the room and they never stop talking, some directed at you, some voices more like you’re overhearing it and everywhere you go you have to try to focus and ignore them as best you can. THAT is much closer to giving you an idea what it’s like than this test.
I’m diagnosed schizoafective and this is one of the best simulations I’ve heard and seen. When I stop taking my meds I have one voice that is very destructive and dangerous. I also hear screaming and crying. Thank you so much for making this article…Hopefully it will help people understand that we have learnt to wear our “happy masks” well….
As a diagnosed schizoaffective person, i was quite impressed with mr cooper’s “exercise in empathy.” The hallucinations in this article are referred to as a “running commentary” in the mental health vernacular. “Creepy” is certainly one apt descriptor! “Delusional” is the textbook name for the symptom… Thank you for helping battle the stigma of this worldwide health problem! 😃
This article made me cry, I have a 9 yr old son who was diagnosed with schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder at 6 yr old. Which is extremely young but not completely unheard of. Even as an toddler he would scream and pull on his ears. I thought it was an ear infection and that the drs were lying when they said he was fine. He’s been hospitalized 4 times even with a great support system. It breaks my heart to see him go through so much and never be able to hear or see or understand what my baby is going through. I just wish there was more I could do and it’s nice NOT to see all of the ugly comments I sometimes come across.
I was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia 10 years ago. I was nodding the whole article because that’s how I feel! It’s a lot to go through…not counting all the anxiety I feel because of the voices. Now I’m just trying to keep a full time job, which is so…so difficult! It’s hard to concentrate and my memory has become so poor. Not sure if it’s the antipsychotics or the stress/anxiety I go through almost every day. Thanks for this article and for feeling some empathy from a well known journalist.
I have schizophrenia and this article is pretty accurate. It’s hardly ever the same voice though. I’ve gotten slightly used to the voices but the visual hallucinations are what really get to me. I feel like everyone is perusal me and I’ll dart my head and eyes to catch a glimpse of the person or thing in the corner of my vision. I’m well controlled but some days are harder than others. I really hope anyone else who has schizophrenia reading this knows even though it feels like you can’t beat it or that everyone is perusal you or out there to hurt you that you are strong and you can do it.
Good Lord. That part where he said “they’re saying you can’t do it” and then he couldn’t complete the exercise…that’s my mum’s voice in my head all the time. I’m not schizophrenic, but it highlights how important the messages are, we receive as children. Fascinating and so sad for those who suffer with this condition.
My illness goes far past just hearing voices. I recently had my meds switched because my insurance wouldn’t cover the cost of the meds anymore and I don’t have a grand a month to pay for them, thus I am sick again. These voices are very tame compared to mine, but not only that but I also have visual and I guess you can say what are called “bug-like” feelings on your skin; as if something is crawling on your skin but nothing is there. I am also super paranoid about whether or not people are in my house or if I’m going to get murdered in my sleep. Not to mention, when I do sleep, I have very vivid nightmares that make me wake up shaking and sweating. And I have to go through this for the rest of my life. I’m only 22.
Schizophrenia is emotional torture, its being held hostage by yourself at all times. Any lucid schizo will tell you their greatest fear isn’t spiders or heights or anything silly like that, their greatest fear is themselves. I never know if I am going to be in a state of mind to properly live my life or just survive it. The worst part is they are only giving this gentleman auditory hallucinations, mix it up and add visual, smells, feels, tastes… then add the negative symptoms which include spontaneous states of inability to have conversation or feel emotions. Some days I’m not really certain how I function, but if the choice is keep moving or die… I just dredge myself through life and live for a better day.
I’m not schizophrenic or anything but I do suffer from depression and anxiety. So I do know what it’s like to have a mental illness but after seeing this I honestly do think that schizophrenia is worst than me having depression and anxiety. This is honestly a scary mental illness and my heart goes out to anyone suffering from it.
My friend is schizophrenic, I just try to reassure her that the voices in her head is her brain overacting to the medication she’s on. She always thinks the people where she lives are listening in on our conversation and her paranoia kicks in. I know the voices she hears are real to her. I just provide patience, empathy and reassurance.
A guy I work with has paranoid schizophrenia, and I always just thought he was kind of awkward and shy because he never speaks to anyone but I found out this is why. I just can’t imagine what it’s like. After I found out, I notice he talks a lot but to himself and he’s always fighting with the voices. Such a horrible way to have to live when everyday tasks are challenging because you’re constantly battling your mind
For me I couldn’t tell the difference between what I heard and what I thought, and I lost the ability to tell the difference between myself actually talking or myself just thinking. The voices would be constant and I would argue with them and I could at times see phyical bodies that identified with the voice and I could feel them touch me. I would talk constantly be fighting for my life thinking I had gained telekinetic powers and people hacked into my eyes and could see outside them and could also read my thoughts. I could hear people say things they didn’t actually say and see them do things they weren’t actually doing.
Since I have schizoaffective disorder and use to hear voices like this all the time, I derive an inordinate amount of pleasure from seeing someone with a healthy brain live in my brain for just a day, and not really be able to do it very well. Thanks so much, Anderson Cooper, for putting this empathetic article in the public eye.
They hardly got it right. Because what really makes it annoying, creepy and distracting is the fact that the voices you hear, KNOW what you are seeing, feeling and doing. And sometimes they would even say the exact words BEFORE you write it down, type it or say it out loud. And then they would laugh at you, degrade and judge you even for the THOUGHTS that pass through your head. And the latter, makes you want to fight with them and convince them that your thoughts do not define you. And the more you entertain these voices, the louder and more frequent you get to hear them and the lesser you’ll be able to sleep or have a moment of silence and peace.
I feel like this should be widely available as something to do voluntarily to experience it. It’s much easier to dismiss things you have no real concept of. Like if you are told about somebody hearing voices, you probably can’t imagine how constant and unnerving it is, because your mind automatically stays at least somewhat within your comfort zone. Experiencing somwthing, even in a controlled environment, makes it much easier to emphazise and could help people understand how some other people react weird in public with no apparent reason – apparent being the key word here.
i thought all those voices in my head were normal. i had them for so long, i thought it was the devil or demons when i was a kid. i have a phrase i made up. now, when i find myself arguing with them i repeat this, “i can’t control you and you can’t control me”. i repeat this over and over until the voices quiet down.
This is exactly what I hear in my head everyday of my life! I never thought I’d see my experience on TV it’s actually very emotional for me cause since this started at 15 I’m no longer the student I used to be! I can barely have a normal conversation with people if I don’t tell them to shut up but then there’s a fear of someone seeing or hearing me talk back to them. It’s like I wear my illness on my forehead. I’m very thankful for this simulation more people need to do this before passing judgment on someone.
I was diagnosed with Schizophrenia in February 2017 and Schizo-affective in February 2018. I started hearing voices in 2021. I had gone off my meds. I was admitted in a mental institution in February 2022. The voices stopped after hospitalization. This year, I had a rough time towards the end of February and the beginning of March. The voices were driving me crazy. I was hearing the same voices but they became homophobic and they were also mocking me about my financial status. I’m no longer hearing the voices. I hope it stays that way.
My Mom was schizophrenic for all my life. Anderson’s experiment hit so close to home. She had all those voices in her head and it was almost impossible to carry on a conversation with her. She could function around the house very well and after seeing this I have no idea how she managed to live with this and handle life so well. She was not violent, in fact just the opposite. She cleaned, washed, cooked and gardened like a person who didn’t have schizophrenia. This experiment actually helped me to understand what my Mom was living through.
My sister has this. She says it’s not like what is shown in the article. I want to explain something very important first though: people who have this are often still intelligent people, but can be a big difference in the degree of how much their illness affects them. They DO tend to have problems concentrating though, and it’s easy to understand why – that can limit them strongly in their education andability to work. In the case of my sister, she begins to hear and see things when she has been stessing or if she sleeps too little, which is an evil circle, as she gets visions of dead or hurt people and hears them talking to her. Sometimes, they don’t do much though – they just sit somewhere. The one thing she hates the most is when there’s also sensation involved – when she can feel someone lightly touching her. She says she always knows that what she sees and feels isn’t real, but it’s hard to deal with, as it often disrupts her everyday life and often makes it hard to fall asleep – these things get worse in the evening and at night. The scariest thing my sister has seen was a little girl that suddenly appeared behind her in the mirror. She was bleeding from her head and beging for help. This was in the middle of the night, which made it even worse. The other thing was when she saw our grandmother (she’s alive and all), again, in the mirror, and she was bleeding from her eyes, nose and mouth and not saying anything. There was also a voice, I seem to remember, that told her that he/she would kill her Other than these visions, my sister is a totally normal person, but she hides from people when she has the voices hallusinations because she doesn’t want anyone to see her in the state she’s at at that point.
This article itself made me extremely uncomfortable. Hearing those voices were unsettling and I was trying so hard to just calm down and breathe, but hearing the “shut-up” and “you’re ok” made it so hard. Man if this is what people go through I feel so bad. I physically and mentally would not be able to go through this. This article alone made me want to quit have way through.
Wow! That was intense! I feel so badly for them. I knew people afflicted with schizophrenia suffered but having actually experienced their world for a short period has me in tears. I’m so sorry for their hardship. Thank you CNN for putting this report together. I think it will definitely help improve empathy for suffers of schizophrenia.
When I go off my meds it takes about 3 days until full blown psychosis. when I go back on the meds it takes the same time for psychosis to fully end. Everything that happens in that state is exactly the same as a sober reality, it’s nothing like a drug trip. It’s as real as me typing this message right now. The only way it helps to begin to realize that things aren’t really happening is for someone to tell me & even after getting stabilized on the meds again, it’s still hard to believe that certain things weren’t real (regardless of how bizarre they were).I become telepathic when I’m in psychosis. I hear the thoughts of others, can respond with my thoughts, and can hear their responses… I know they aren’t real thoughts now though, and that’s the least of it. It goes much deeper. Full blown hallucinations of people I’ve known for years, and some I’ve never met. Entire situations that last from just minutes to days long.The last time was about 7 months ago. I got arrested and locked up for real, and believed I was in a secret government facility perusal them torture my mother through my plexiglass cell as I pounded on the windows and begged them to torture me instead. After days they tortured her to death. I believed I was being framed as an Isis recruiter, and they were trying to force me to admit that I was responsible for 911. I could communicate telepathically to inmates in the other cells, but only one out of many officers for some reason.When my mom came to visit me I cried both tears of joy for her being alive and well, and for the fact that I had my first realization that I didn’t know what was real or not.
I don’t hear voices like that but it’s usually whispers of someone trying to rob and murder me in the middle of the day and it makes me hide behind my door with a machete. Especially at night when the fan whispers. Than I start getting aggressive and angry and start punching holes in my wall and chopping at my kitchen counter . I recently stopped smoking and it makes it hard to do. I take 7 benydral a night to help me numb out so I don’t hear the robber voices
I used one of these because my girlfriend is schizo and I wanted to have some kind of idea what it’s like for her.. After five minutes or so I was actually reacting to the voices somewhat without noticing at first. I would dart my eyes down when they said, I couldn’t concentrate on anything else.. It’s scary. And she can’t turn it off.
Thanks for making this article. I was diagnosed with schizo-affective disorder and when you spoke of how the voice’s your hearing are saying things that correspond to what your doing with allot of negative comments is exactly how it is for me. I was surprised a simulation like this could replicate that feeling.
My neuroscience teacher showed my class this article; I leaned over and asked my friend “do people not normally think like that?” I’ve always been aware I suffer mental disorders, but this helped me realize and express what I feel better. I have since gone to my psychiatrist and we’ve adjusted my medication. I’m very hopeful and glad that soon my inattention won’t be a problem. 🙂
My grandmother is paranoid schizophrenic. Her worst times seem to be at night. She paces back and forth staring out of the windows like somebody is out to get her. Years ago, she’d turn our fridge off because she said that she “heard noises when it was running.” She thinks that some guy that used to live 2 houses down from us (that she called the police on back then, supposedly) has set up speakers and microphones all over the neighborhood. She has the neighbors using the bathroom in their yards and claims that she can smell it, has described “death tapes” where she apparently hears people dying in various ways. “He” plays various musical instruments, loud music, grinding sounds, etc. Apparently they threaten her and everyone else regularly. She believes that the houses around us are all vacant and that people have just started randomly living in them. When I was a kid, she called the bomb squad to the house next door on my first day of school one year. My mother came back and they were about to kick the neighbor’s door in because she claimed that someone in the attic of that house said a bomb would go off in x minutes. Then she later lied and said that she was “having problems with her ears.” She’s extremely manipulative, will lie through her teeth about anything and anyone. It is hard to figure out what is and isn’t the schizophrenic and what is just her selfish personality. She’s apparently been very selfish for all of her life and has hurt a lot of people even before she was schizophrenic.
This was a profound experiment and anyone with the semblance of a brain as well as heart will for compassion and empathy for those struggling not only with mental illness because they say a huge population of people have trauma and triggers and that many individuals have a gene that is linked to schizophrenia just sometimes the cracking of the mind brings it to the forefront people that battle this illness if anything that I’ve learned are incredibly strong individuals and while I already found my heart to be open as well as my mind and sympathy and compassion I do believe it’s even more so after perusal this
Wow, this sounds scary as fuck, it totally disrupts your capacity to think clearly and gather a peace of mind. I have had mental health problems, mostly anxiety, lack of sleep, etc, even hospitalized for it. Naturally at first doctors thought I had schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, but I don’t hear voices or experience any hallucinations and such. Just extreme anxiety disorder. Having been in a mental health facility, it makes me appreciate how the mind can go haywire on us humans.
As some who suffers from social anxiety, I suffered a schizophrenic attack last year whilst on holiday. It followed me home and I thought it was something that was going to be permanent. Luckily I saw a great therapist that managed to get me to see “through” my miasma. A truly awful affliction, but I urge anyone suffering from this, go and get therapy, it really does help.
Now also imagine men with knives running at you, blood randomly emerging from the boat, hands messing with your hair or yanking your arm. Smelling fire suddenly, and forgetting how to speak or spell. You cant make full sentences because your tongue got twisted around your brain and you have a raging urge to rip out your eyes while a clown keeps dancing around you. Believe that you cant walk outside your room or else a bomb in the floor will go off or that tiny parasites in the water are going to your stomach. Looking at an object while listening to everything the voices are saying and losing track of time completely, feeling like you could’ve been out for 5 minutes or 5 hours and being terrified by that. Wanting to kill your own mother because she’s not actually your mom but is an underground scientist experimenting on you for the government. Random claps of thunder on sunny days that wake you up from sleeping or gunshots in your room. This simulator is barely a fraction of what schizophrenia is like for the many who have it and it’s absolutely horrible to live with. It’s a constant state of fear and frustration like when a monster chasing after you in a dream and you cant move your limbs for months or years on end. I’ve battled with schizophrenia myself and im still struggling, but significantly better and I just want anyone who reads this a glimpse at what hell it is to carry.
Thank you Anderson Cooper for shining a spotlight on mental illness. It’s been too long that society has ignored and shunned those with illness. It’s incredibly difficult not just for those with illness but also the friends and family close by. Unfortunately there is little to no help out there for everyone involved, and that’s your fault. Yes whoever is reading this. Society needs to change. In order for that to happen you as an individual should change first. Be understanding and try to offer help to those in need. A small deed can go a long way. (I’m thanking Anderson Cooper even though I’d say I’m not the biggest fan of his in general. However this is a very important topic and I applaud him for doing this.)
It isnt really like that. To me its more like commentary. Its one voice but the voice changes from male to female and its usually different voice every day. But its always the same voice. But hearing voices is easy to get used to after a while. The real mess is when I come down from my delusions where my life always fucks up.
I did a similar experiment while training in mental health although we also used glasses to simulate visual distortion. We did not experience the side effects of the drugs used to control symptoms which are terrible. Thank you for doing this and posting this. You are leading others to consider how difficult it is to live with this disorder that affects 1 in 10 people world wide.
I have no mental illness (I believe). However, in my heavy drinking days, after days of binge drinking, my head would sound remarkably like this. And I have heard other alcoholics describe the same. It was like my mind was a radio receiver and it would just flip between random dialogues. Anything: A little girl laughing, followed by a man ranting about politics, followed by whispers etc. Very very weird and at times terrifying. Anyone else have this?
My brother was a state champion wrestler. He was super smart and popular and good looking. During his freshman year of college something happened. We still aren’t sure if it was drug induced or genetic. But he’s got paranoid schizophrenia now. It sucks man. I used to look up to him a lot, now I can barley have a conversation with him. Moral of the story is take care of yourself. Think twice before making decisions. And don’t even be embarrassed to ask for help. Stay safe and healthy everyone.
It’s a scary thing to have. My mom has it and it’s a daily struggle. She has to take so many meds to control “the voices ” . The meds have side affects such as fatigue. The odd time she’s stop taking them because of the side affects. There were times when we would all sit down to eat supper and she would out of no where say to a specific family member ” why do you keep saying that to me !”, the person of coarse didn’t say anything but she wouldn’t believe you. :(. There were times she would wear a hat she made out of tin foil snd magnets and constantly wear because “they were listening to her brains waves and wanted to get her”. As she gets older the doctors have found it has gotten worse, they had a hard time stabilizing her. I love her so much and would do anything to help her. I feel for anyone who suffers from schizophrenia and the world needs to have a better understanding/compassion for these people, they didn’t pick to have it, they were born with it.
My brother had schizophrenia and he struggled so much doing everyday tasks. It’s so sad how little people actually know about this illness and how hard it is for the sufferers to live normal lives. He ultimately couldn’t take it and committed suicide early last year. Please if you know anyone with schizophrenia please take it seriously, they didn’t ask to deal with that pain.
I dealt with a the form of schizophrenia known as psychosis for 2 years without anyone knowing. Even I didn’t know what was going on. I’ve been on steady meds for years now, but I still remember a lot of what happened and all the negativity that was impressed on me. But what I heard was completely different from what’s shown here. There weren’t really distinct words. It was just sounds, like screams, or a dog barking right next to me. Very rarely did I hear a voice talking to me unless it was in whispers I couldn’t make out. But of course it wasn’t limited to auditory hallucinations. I felt things, saw things, and even smelled and tasted things that weren’t there. It’s hard to explain the constant fear I felt every day, not knowing what was gonna happen, or why. I still live in fear that it’s going to come back, worsened by the fact that sometimes stuff slips through. I had to up my dosage last year because everything just started coming back. It’s terrifying, living with schizophrenia, knowing you’re alone in everything that happens to you. You can tell people, but they can’t comprehend it. I still feel so scared and alone some days, and I’ve battled depression on and off for years. But I still try and move forward with my life and I’m trying my best to learn how to be independent from my parents. I am 21 years old. I was diagnosed 5 years ago. And it does get better. There are hardships, but there’s a life out there waiting for everyone, even me, and I intend on going out and finding it, regardless of the setbacks life has given me.
My brother has schizophrenia and he tried to described it to me but it wasnt until I did this same excercise that I got a glimpse of the depth of his illness. It is debilitating, isolating and frightening. But unlike Anderson and myself I could just unplug the voices. I admire my brothers courage as many sufferers are driven to suicide. So next time you see someone on the street distressed due to their symptoms be kind, respectful and consider yourself lucky.
I have been living with paranoid schizoaffective disorder for the past 10 years and to those that think that it’s not hard to focus when you have different voices talking to you constantly…well I think Mr Cooper just proved that it is. Add that to visual hallucinations and tactile ones as well – like I experience – and it makes it damn near impossible sometimes. I have found (for those out there that are struggling with their symptoms right now) that sticking to a routine really helps me. Also helpful for me is other auditory stimuli – such as listening to music. It helps to ground me in reality and makes it a lot easier for me to focus. Living with this illness is in no way easy…and its taken me a long time to comes to terms with it and to start living some semblance of a normal life. If anyone out there reads this and needs support from someone else who has been there please feel free to message me on here. I’ll be more than happy to talk to you and help you try to come to terms with it. But hopefully (like me) it helps to see that you’re not alone in this…and that there are ways to live some semblance of a normal life
Eventually it’s possible to learn to ignore them. It took me almost 7 years but I did it and then they faded more into the background and now they just sound like background garbble. Sometimes they are distinct but as long as you understand they are just from your own mind then they don’t bother you. Don’t give up hope people even if your medication isn’t making it stop.
Yeah, the struggle is real. After going through a traumatic experience I started to hear voices calling my name and telling me that I was going to get fired for being a failure while I tried my hardest not to pay attention to it. It only got worse though, they only told me how I ruined everything and that’s why I deserved to die. It got to the point where I had to run to the bathroom and hide until the voices stopped telling me to kill myself. I don’t wish it on my worst enemy and I have extreme admiration for those that still push through it.
Imagine constantly hearing voices of people in your vicinity putting you down on your biggest flaws, even the secret flaws you thought no one knows about, and you physically covering your ears to not hear them, yet you still hear them clear as day. The worse part is that, they usually say it when you have your back to them, or they are in another room and it sounds like you are overhearing it when in reality, its the voices in your head speaking at clever points of time.
I went to the hospital and was first slapped with schizophrenia as to why i was hearing things. There were multiple voices. sometimes loud sometimes very low and quiet. I would sometimes strain to hear them but they were there. always in the background and would even get woken up at night. It becomes very scary and you are kinda engulf into what they are saying. In all honestly, it felt like having a secret place of people that all wanted to talk to you and although it didn’t make sense and was really scary, I felt like I HAD to listen. They would make notes on things around me, my family, and it got really personal and violent. I thank the doctors that brought me back to reality and got me the help I needed .
My 17 year old brother hung himself last November, and had been diagnosed with this disorder. He was always hitting himself and talking to himself in his room, and it spread to self harming, such as cutting and even going so far as to hold his hand on our electric stove and scream “NO” at himself. He suffered horrible burns. It was horrifying for us, but I never took time to realize how immensely horrifying it must’ve been for him. when you have schizophrenia, are the voices running constantly? Do they come at certain times, like when you are stressed, or nervous, or sad? Are they always so negative?? Is it limited only to hearing things, or also seeing things that aren’t there? He would always say in therapy sessions that the reason behind him doing these things to himself is because “THEY” told him to. When asked who, he would just point to his head. Now, he had autism as well, which left him almost completely non-verbal, and very anti-social. His anxiety became so bad, he had to be homeschooled. I like to believe he is in a better place now, he was such a beautiful soul. My only wish is that I hugged him more. He absolutely loved hugs. This seems like an incredibly hard condition and I pray all who have it may find peace:( If any of you can answer my questions, that would mean so much to me.
Idk if I have schizophrenia, I have a lot of thoughts and voices in my head. Sometimes they can be hurtful or comforting. It can also be like I’m having a chat in my head, most of the time I’m arguing back. I’m not sure if I have 2 personalities or what. I feel like I’m going crazy and I never talk to people about it because I’m too scared they will fear me.
Notice how, by the end of the article, Cooper complies with the demands of the harsh voices: “eyes up!” And he looks up. This was profound the first time I saw it, and it’s still pretty heart-wrenching to see and hear. I would hope that anyone afflicted with this illness can find relief. But as I understand it, it doesn’t always eliminate the voices, but rather tempers them and the way the patient processes/responds to hallucinatory stimuli.
This was hard to watch, my mom has schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and I never understood growing up why she’d go into episodes of confusion where she didn’t make sense at all. Just perusal this put fear in me and that’s something I don’t feel very often. Thanks for the eye opening article Cooper 👍
This is very realistic. I was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder & dissociative fugue. Not only are the constant voices a problem but while driving I have a constant fear that I’m going to wake from a dream of me driving and it be total chaos. The white lines of the road begins to move at night giving the impression the road curves when it doesn’t and I see dark objects constantly run into the road. I installed lower lights that illuminate the road better and that seems to help.
This is such an improvement on mental health. Thank you to Anderson Cooper for doing this because so many people struggle with this. I myself struggle with this so thank you and hearing voices is real. People who have high anxiety when someone is focused on you and you have racing thoughts which I myself am going through they can absolutely hear what I think. I’ve had people comment back to me the things that I’m thinking so thank you for even acknowledging this but please do not let this control you. Be a better person to yourself and love yourself no matter what
god, i couldn’t do that at all. i have anxiety and this would drive me off the walk. but, i can now understand much more about the voices. now i know why they talk to “themselves”. thank you so much, Mr. Cooper, for doing this. it was an amazing idea. really sounds very hard. and most schizophrenics develop this condition as young people after they’ve had normal brain development. it is incredibly debilitating. i do hope a medication can be researched to help with this disease.
TO ANYONE SUFFERING FROM THIS: I discovered a technique that made this stop for me. Medication didn’t have any effect, but this did: Mimicing the voices you are hearing. So basically, if you’re told “You are pathetic. A shame for this country.” you say it out loud. I don’t know how or why this worked, only that the voices stopped after a while whenever i persisted in taking what they were saying in to my own mouth. I could liken it to having an older brother that is always following you around and saying mean things to you. Instead of being quiet and taking it, you rise up against him and fire back whatever statement he has said to you. You could say it normally, quietly, calmly, in a silly way, angrily – it doesn’t matter. As long as you say it out loud yourself. I could also liken it to that scene in 8 Mile where Eminem disses himself so the other guy has nothing to rap about. You somehow seem to get distance from verbal attacks by hearing yourself say them. Hell, they often start to seem ridiculous. Today I no longer hear voices.
they actually did brain scans and when a person with schizophrenia heard voices, the same areas lit up that do when people hear someone talking…(it isn’t just hearing voices in their heads, to them, it actually sounds like voices outside their heads.) I did a similar exercise, the tape was made by voice hearers in NZ…it is so hard to concentrate – people with schizophrenia just amaze me at what they do manage to accomplish each day. If you want to try something similar… sit opposite someone, then have a person either side of you talking in each ear as you try and chat with the person opposite you… oh and as a point of interest, a friend who has it said, when he is well, he would rather his voices (which aren’t as bad/negative when he is well) than my depression/anxiety/PTSD – yet i was always saying ‘i “just” have those things…a matter of perspective but he also knows about the black abyss of depression…..the guy who did the workshop i attended to do this exercise, also told us what he learned about his ‘voices’ which aren’t always voices but can be sounds like hearing rats scratching in the walls etc….he told us where he found they had come from…so fascinating…i hope things like this can spread more awareness, lower stigma and create more empathy to not only people with schizophrenia but all mental illnesses….xox take care of yourselves and your mental health…it is ok to not be ok and to ask for help…you deserve it
Some of these comments are really disgusting. Most of us have no idea how terrifying, how unbearable it is to live with schizophrenia. I’m glad I don’t, and this is not a subject that should be joked about. Have you ever had a more “mild” mental health issue (I hesitate to call them mild but you get my point). Depression, anxiety… etc? Those are terrible to live with in themselves. Now imagine both of them plus terrifying visual and audible hallucinations that medication cannot cure, or effectively treat on a case to case basis. Sure, medications can help, but it’s not like Xanax making you all but fearless. There is no miracle drug for schizophrenia.
For six months, I attended a day-long rehab program for people with mental illnesses (I have MDD). There was this one guy named Brandon who came in 5x a week. Heavy-set, spiked hair, had this glazed-over look in his eyes. He was 20, but mentally/emotionally he was closer to 12. Let’s just say if we were playing a game called “Guess the Mass Shooter”, I would choose him. Brandon had schizophrenia, ADHD, and I was told about a half-dozen other disorders. He would constantly rock back and forth in his seat, dart his head around. Always breathed heavily. Sometimes he’d randomly start pounding his chest. He spoke so fast and with such slurred speech, I could make out maybe 25% of what he’d just said. This guy was so creepy and bizarre, in fact, pretty much everyone avoided him as much as possible. They wouldn’t even sit next to him during groups. Especially young women, since he claimed every girl in the program as his and would make not-so-subtle threats against any guy who so much as TALKED to whichever girl he was obsessed with at the time. Now I know at least partially what Brandon was probably experiencing while we attended that rehab program, and it’s scary.
I’ve had voices every day since I was little, but it’s from dissociative identity disorder. We actually have more issues with internal voices than schizophrenics according to researchers. You get used to it and think it’s normal after a while and are able to function pretty well. I don’t think the voices are the worst of what I deal with, to be honest. It’s the amnesia. So schizophrenics aren’t the only ones dealing with voices. Shoot, most professionals don’t even believe in DID. We get told we’re lying or attention seeking or are deluded by a therapist who has created the disorder in us. Yeah, right, I’m faking the voices? The therapist created the voices and the amnesia? We get little respect and even less help. It’s tragic…
I don’t know if I have schizophrenia or not. I’m always paranoid and I usually always see things that aren’t there, but only 3 times have I actually heard voices. The first time was a soothing one, the second one was extremely scary because like the first one, I was in the dark and afraid, and I hid under the blankets. I heard an aggressive voice telling me that I’m a wimp because I’m doing that. She said more things, but I tried to confront her and put my head up and I saw a mutilated girl sitting besides my bed. My mom turned on the lights and she vanished. The third time it was just mumbling, again because I was afraid of the dark. For me, it seems like I see things more than hear them. I doubt I do, though.
Dude… I am barely realizing I talk to me myself in a manner that could insinuate Scizophrenia. Like it is my own voice but tooo often I am wrapped in my own world/thoughts/contemplation and have a ton of trouble keeping a clear mind when it won’t shut up. Like everything is a rehearsal and somebody is always standing there waiting for a mistake xD shhhit
As someone with schizoaffective disorder (extremely similar to Schizophrenia although less famous) this only tells one half of the battle. There are “positive” symptoms and “negative” symptoms. Positive does not mean good, but that you see or hear things that aren’t real. This is the only part of the symptoms shown in this article. The other half, the half that is not shown in this article, is the “negative” symptoms. Negative means the affected person has disorganized thoughts, disorganized speech, shows little to no emotion, shows little to no sympathy. Has little to no energy. No two cases of schizophrenia or schizoaffective are exactly the same. In my case my medications (mostly) treats the positive symptoms, but not the negative. I’ll also add that most people with Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective are exceptionally bad at dealing with stress, hence why 80% of us are unemployed (I looked that statistic up myself and it didn’t surprise me at all) and many of us are homeless.
Cooper’s got some rumours around him that sit kind of sour with me, but along with thread4souls, this was something he’s done that is pretty useful for people who don’t hear voices. I’m Schizoaffective and mostly get visual, then tactile, rarely auditory hallucinations, even on the best meds my psych and I can figure. I at least don’t have delusions any more. Used to think I had snipers trained on me. lol Something that wasn’t touched on, though, is how it is to carry out conversations with people with all that extra “reality” plopped on top of everyone else’s. It’s very difficult to interpret someone’s mood or intent when so much is going on that you end up alienating people more than just the compulsion to be anti-social he mentioned. I don’t have voices (it’s mostly visual stuff too complicated to get into in a comment), but it’s still very dampening on your mood and ability to interpret reality. You’re constantly sorting, “real” and “not real”. Once you throw in a person trying to talk to you or an activity other than sorting reality, it’s very limited in what you’re able to accomplish. I don’t know if there’s any meds that work even 80%…? You’re never cured, just “recovered” with constant worry of relapsing. Yet because it’s not something as conceivable as cancer to normal people, there’s little pity unless someone they know has it. People know what cancer looks like. People don’t know the realities of schizophrenic disorders.
I live with an unmedicated paranoid schizophrenic. She’s extremely intelligent. She openly talks about hearing voices, and she’s rationalized it by saying something crazy (the government put a 2 way radio in her head), buy she does better then most people who don’t hear voices. Also, she’s extremely compassionate.
The more realistic way of experiencing Schizophrenia is to maybe have someone literally in your ear instead of a recording. Most of the time conversations with people or even perusal a movie are the quiet times. When I was in college attending reading classes that involved a lot of reading and explaining to the teacher or answering her questions on test about certain books were hard. It’s hard to read and retain anything. Depression and anxiety follows as a result of what I was experiencing but at a higher level because I was struggling with those two disorders before I had my first breakdown and went to the hospital. What does help is diet and exercise, diet can be a struggle at times as well.
What if the voices is your own thoughts, i.e: thinking in literal sentences?.. And at what point are the voices foreign or feel like someone else is saying them.. or is it possible that some of the voices are other peoples conversations that are around the person, whereby the brain decrypts the actual statements into a different statement detouring from the original statements..
I hear voices that respond to my thoughts and interrupt them to complete what I was going to say in my head before I even finish. They also keep saying “peek-a-boo” (when I stop thinking about them for a moment), “it’s over with”, “you’re done for” and “you’ll be dead soon enough” amongst other things
This simulation also applies to symptoms of Anxiety, Depression, PTSD, OCD, and OCD-Harm (which is constant intrusive thoughts) to name a few. This is what many neurodivergent people deal with for YEARS in fear of judgement by our society at large. THIS is our every waking moment (in addition to night terrors and insomnia.) 2:17 is the most accurate moment in this article for me…I cannot relate too well with quieter ones.
I’m not a schizophrenic, but I’m always filled with negative thoughts, always overthinking, anxious, nervous, and living like hell because of these emotions, beliefs, and thoughts that my mind is creating for me. Sometimes I’m even suicidal. I can’t imagine how it would feel hearing voices and seeing things that confirm these negative thoughts. It would be…
I have schizzoaffective disorder and honestly as bad as the voices are they are just one of the many symptoms and for me the easiest part of it all and that’s fucked but it’s true took me a couple years to finally figure out what works and what doesn’t in managing my illness now im thriving it has made me stronger than ever and I see it as a blessing these days so there is hope and proof it can and will get better 😁
As much as I hate to admit it, but this only scratches the surface or what Schizophrenics like me go through. Voices are do frequent and constantly hammering on you. And Anderson only did this for a short while. He could just take off those headphones and be done with it. Schizophrenics like me have to deal with voices… Every day… At an hour… But i am still thankful for yhis article. I wish there was more advocacy for mental illnesses like mine. I’m even trying ti write poetry and stories to help illutrate the suffering that people go through with this illness. It truly is a terrible illness. Been living with the condition since i seventeen, and went through hell to find the right medicine for me. I wish more people would be understanding of us. We’re not freaks ir dangerous. In most cases, we’re more dangerous to ourselves. And more than anything, we want help, and we don’t want to bring pain to others. Our existence is miserable enough, let alone if we cause suffering because of our condition. I know I’ve had those creeping dark thoughts many times. I hope that this article, and many more, can help shed some light into the issues with Schizophrenia. We are not monsters. In many ways, we’re just as human as everyone else.
I have depression, anxiety, and a self-harm addiction. Since I almost never experience audio and visual hallucinations with my mental illnesses or addiction I don’t think someone could “experience” it in the way Anderson Cooper did schizophrenia. Still, I appreciate that stimulators like the one he used exist. It can make people more compassionate towards those of us living with invisible disabilities.
Ive had schizophrenia for 3 years now and its definitely been a rollercoaster. Sometimes i have good days sometimes bad sometimes worse. For me they want other people to know that theyre bothering me esp in school. I feel extremely uncomfortable and you begin to question your faith and God. Why are we going through this esp children.i cannot even imagine what they have to go through. Were all survivors and i wish every single person who goes through this and their relatives for peace of mind. May we all get it one day. 🙏
It’s heartwarming to see so many comments filles with empathy. I’ve had this problem since I was 4. I spoke to nobody for years about what I was going through and it wasn’t until my dad passed away in 2018 where it got really severe and I needed medical help. What alot of people don’t talk about is the severe side effects you get from the antipsychotics they put you on.
Yes! It makes you feel completely isolated, even in a crowd. Then add on paranoia, where you think people are perusal you or following you. I can block it out for a lot of the day, but it’s exhausting. Most people don’t know I’m experiencing this, because I mask so well, but when I get home, I crash. It’s hard to tell what is real. I rely on my wonderful, patient husband to help me understand what’s real. I’m blessed to have someone who is so empathetic.