What Not To Say To Someone With Schizophrenia
1. Dont be rude or unsupportive. Instead, be tolerant and listen to what they are saying. If they are being dangerous or inappropriate, do call for help. You dont want to be in a dangerous situation.
2. Dont bully them into doing something they dont want to do. Instead, ask them if there is someone you could call for them. A friend, parent, social worker, or therapist are all good options.
3. Dont interrupt them. Let them talk, even if they are rambling. Having someone listen is being supportive of their condition. According to Dr. Xavier Amador in his book, I Am Not Sick. I Dont Need Help!,stop arguing and start listening to your loved one in a way that leaves him feeling that his point of view is being respected.
4. Dont assume you know what they need. Instead, ask them what they would need to feel better, says the UKs Mental Health Foundation. Perhaps its a glass of water, or sitting down, or having a favorite item nearby. Help them with whatever will help soothe them.
5. Dont second guess or diagnose them. Diagnosis is for doctors. Youre there to be supportive, not give medical judgment.
6. Dont use words that make you seem like an enemy. Dont say, stop that, or Ill call the police, but instead reassure them that you are on their side and that you want to help them.
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10. Dont use a strong voice. Instead use soft, gentle language, so the person knows youre to be trusted.
Auditory Hallucinations In Schizophrenia
Auditoryhallucinations, or hearing voices, is one of the most prevalentsymptoms of schizophrenia, reported by as many as 75% of patients.1It is also seen in other psychiatric conditions, such as bipolar and unipolardepression and personality disorders, as well as in nonclinical populations.
Auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia are heterogenous in nature. According to Simon McCarthy-Jones, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, Hearing voices is a varied experience. It can involve hearing single or multiple voices, whose identity the hearer may or may not know, who speak in turn or all at the same time, who may be saying new things or repeating what has been heard before, and who can give comments or commands, insults or encouragement. Most commonly though, people diagnosed with schizophrenia will hear multiple voices that are male, nasty, repetitive, commanding, and interactive, where the person can ask the voice a question and get some kind of answer.
What Are The 3 Stages Of Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia occurs in stages.
While the length of these stages differs from person to person, these phases tend to occur in sequence and may recur throughout the life of a person with schizophrenia.
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What Are The 4 Main Types Of Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia looks different from one person to the next. But there are four main categories into which patients fall:
Can You Have Schizophrenia Without Hallucinations
Although many people living with schizophrenia will experience some type of hallucination at some point in life, you can have schizophrenia without ever hallucinating.
To receive a diagnosis of schizophrenia, you need to experience at least two of the five main symptoms on most days for at least 1 month.
These symptoms include:
- catatonia, or disorganized or unusual movements and gestures
- difficulty expressing emotion and experiencing enjoyment and interest in life
But at least one of the two symptoms you need for diagnosis must be hallucinations, delusions, or confused and disorganized speech.
In other words, if you dont experience hallucinations but you do experience delusions with other schizophrenia symptoms, you could have schizophrenia.
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I Can Hear Other Peoples Thoughts Judging Me Fear There Are Plots To Discredit Or Ruin Me
On a good day. Its kind of like walking around a crowded party. You can hear people talking, but its so much audible clutter that it becomes noise. If Im busy or thinking really hard about a problem Im solving it fades into the background but Im still aware of it.
If my mind isnt constantly occupied with something the opposite happens. The noise increases and sometimes the voices/thoughts become tangible. Usually preying on negative feelings or memories.
On a bad day, things are much, much worse. Bad days can occur after severe lack of sleep, emotional trauma or tremendous stress. Voices become clear and fall into several categories:
1.) Fearless. You can do anything. Fuck boundaries you can rock this shit. These arent too bad, but encourage reckless and dangerous behavior
2.) Paranoid and Delusional. I can hear other peoples thoughts judging me, fear there are plots to discredit or ruin me. I see everyone as an enemy to be avoided/overcome.
3.) Failure. Voices focus heavily on personal failures. Instead of using them as a learning experience the voices berate me with reminders of how worthless I was
4.) Violence. I have never once allowed these to influence me other than punching a wall here or there when I was younger.
I am medicated now, and with a combination of medication, lifestyle changes, therapy and exercise I have managed to greatly improve my mental health. Sometimes there are struggles, but my day to day life is relatively normal.
Sometimes They Scream Angry Hateful Things Telling Me To Kill Myself Or Others Around Me
Most of my hallucinations are visual. I see men who watch me from a distance. Sometimes if I look away they get closer. I can never look at their faces because they look like a smeared oil painting if I try to focus on them. Sometimes they scream angry hateful things telling me to kill myself or others around me. No matter where I am there is always at least one around. It can be berry terrifying especially when its dark and silent and I can hear one walking closer to me. I havent seen a doctor because I fear they wouldnt believe me. Im not at all expressive in my face or voice so people regard me as very quiet and emotionless.
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How To Distinguish Between Malingering Genuine Psychosis
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SAN DIEGO At a session on detection of malingering mental illness here at the U.S. Psychiatric and Mental Health Congress, Phillip Resnick, MD, professor of psychiatry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, offered tips on how mental health providers can differentiate between patients feigning mental illness and patients with genuine mental illness.
It should be noted, Resnick said, that there is a difference between malingering and feigning. Unlike malingering, which is motivated by external incentives, feigning is an individuals deliberate fabrication or exaggeration of symptoms without any assumption of goals.
Phillip Resnick
There are a number of purposes for malingering, Resnick said, including avoidance of criminal punishment or military duty, financial gain, transfers out of prison or hospital admission among the homeless. Among prisoners specifically, relocation, medication, compensation, attention or amusement may all be reasons why inmates may fake a mental illness, he said.
Common beliefs regarding lying, including eye contact avoidance, less smiling and fidgeting, should not be used to determine if a patient is lying, said Resnick, as they are nothing more than myths.
Patients who have genuine psychotic hallucinations may hear voices of angered neighbors or messages of very negative context .
For more information:
Do I Have A Mental Illness If I Hear Voices
Up to 1 in 10 people hear voices. Hearing voices is not as rare as we used to think.
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. It is not always a sign of being unwell.You may find it helpful to have a diagnosis. But you may not identify with a diagnosis. You may find it more helpful to think of the voices as part of your personality. The same as someone may be shy or outgoing.
You may have your own explanation for your voices. Some people have spiritual reasons or other beliefs to explain the voices they hear. For example, someone from a religious group may believe in demons. It maybe their belief that the voices mean that they are possessed.
You can find more information about:
- Spirituality, religion and mental illness by clicking here.
- Psychosis by clicking here.
- Schizoaffective disorder by clicking here.
- Bipolar disorder by clicking here.
- Personality disorder by clicking here.
- Dissociation and dissociative disorders by clicking here.
- Depression by clicking here.
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I Usually Hear People Call My Name Ill Hear Them Say Hey Or Hello
I usually hear people call my name. Ill hear them say hey or hello.
I constantly feel watched. I live in an attic in a garage alone, and I see people outside the windows all the time. I have to leap a few feet to get off my bed because I see hands coming out from under it all the time. When Im standing Im always afraid there are people directly out of my line of sight. Also when Im sitting. I always think someones gonna grab my feet.
I cant eat in public because I look at people and the people in my head are telling me about what everyone else is thinking. I cant go in crowded places at all. If I do eat in public I need the same server every time.
Im constantly having to delete all my texts and Facebook messages. I dont know why. If I dont ill have a panic attack. Recently within the last five or so months, Ive constantly had a feeling of pure dread. Its like When you have something bad to say to someone but you cant say it and it physically hurts you. Thats how it feels, but constant. And I have nothing to say.
My body is out for rent, to the people in my head if that makes sense. I spend nights watching myself pace back and forth from a third person views. Sometimes theyll wake me up to stare out the windows at the figures outside.
Im always hearing people downstairs in my place. I send text messages that I dont remember sending and sometimes I remember sending text messages that I never even wrote.
What Other Disorder Is There When You Hear Voices In Your Head
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What Treatment Should The Nhs Offer Me
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommend that you should be offered antipsychotic medication and talking therapy if you hear voices. If you decide not to take medication you should still be offered talking therapy.
NICE produce guidelines for how health professionals should treat certain conditions. You can download these from their website at www.nice.org.uk.
Your GP may refer you to a specialist mental health team such as the early intervention team , community mental health team , or crisis team.
Medication
Antipsychotic medication can help with hearing voices. Medication may not make symptoms go away but it can make voices seem distant or less noticeable. Try not to be too upset if the first antipsychotic that you try doesnt help. There are lots of different antipsychotics to try because people respond to different medications. You might need to try more than one before you find one that helps. The main negative with medication is that it can have bad side effects. A common side effect is weight gain.
Talking therapies
There are different types of talking therapies recommended for people who hear voices.
Cognitive behavioural therapy
CBT can help you to manage your voices and to notice any patterns. This can help you learn what is your trigger for the voices. And how to cope with them. For example, for some people stress can trigger voices. CBT can help you find ways to deal with your stress.
What is CBT?
CBT is a talking treatment.
CBT aims to:
He Told Me Just Last Week That I Could Kill A Man Walking Down The Street With My Knife In My Pocket
I hear a man and a girl.
The man tells me things that arent true, or are out of grasp. For instance, he would tell me to go hit on this girl, when I know shes out of my league. But sometimes, he will say things that just arent right. For instance, he told me just last week that I could kill a man walking down the street with my knife in my pocket. That I can play god, and that I am god, and everything that is, is me. He scares me. I only hear him when Im alone, and depressed, however.
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Theyll Tell Me To Kill Everything And Everyone
Four voices. Three male, one young female.
The female voice howls, screams, and cries when Im in public places. She whispers that people hate me and want me dead. She encourages delusions of persecution, paranoia, and violent acts.
One of the male voices is the complete opposite. He encourages me, tells me how much smarter I am than everyone. He encourages delusions of grandeur, power, superiority.
The other two voices are wild and unpredictable. Theyll tell me to kill everything and everyone. Then theyll switch and lull me with lies about how in control I am, how I dont need medication and that its poison. My therapists are trying to wipe my brain and make me into a blank slate.
Ive had auditory hallucinations since childhood. It took years to be diagnosed correctly. I had doctors say I was faking for attention because little kids arent schizophrenic.
Ive been in just about every antipsychotic medication available. Ive been institutionalized. I was pulled out of high school and put into an alternative school.
I hate the medication but I need it. I want to live like everyone else but I cant. People dont hang around once they find out Im ill. Im jealous of normal people and at times I feel luckier than them. Im never alone. Theyll always be with me.
How Is Schizophrenia Treated
There are different types of treatment available. Medical professionals should work with you to find the right treatment for you. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends that you should be offered a combination of medication and talking therapies.
People who live with schizophrenia can respond to treatment differently.
For many treatment helps to reduce symptoms to help make daily life easier. You may find that you need to continue with treatment to keep well. For every 5 people with schizophrenia:
- 1 will get better within 5 years of their first obvious symptoms.
- 3 will get better but will have times when they get worse again.
- 1 will have troublesome symptoms for long periods of time.
What medication should I be offered?
Your doctor may offer you medication known as an antipsychotic. These reduce the symptoms of schizophrenia, but dont cure the illness. Your healthcare professionals should work with you to help choose a medication. If you want, your carer can also help you make the decision. Doctors should explain the benefits and side effects of each drug.
In the past, some antipsychotics had negative side effects. Some people find that the side effects of newer antipsychotic drugs are easier to manage.
Your medication should be reviewed at least once a year.
What type of psychosocial treatment will I be offered?
Family intervention is where you and your family work with mental health professionals to help to manage relationships.
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What Is It Like To Hear Voices In Did
What is it like to hear voices in dissociative identity disorder ? Hearing voices, sometimes known as auditory hallucinations, and having DID does not mean one is psychotic or delusional. Hearing voices is actually common with the disorder, but it is also a complicated topic for which a one-size-fits-all answer does not work. However, we can still understand the phenomenon of hearing voices when we examine how our alters influence us.