I Have These Disturbing Voices In My Head That Aren't Mine, But...

[Kashi]

...they're actually voices of real people I've met, mostly the teachers and students who bullied me in high school. The voices make me really nervous and I want them to stop. I'm also worried that I'm schizophrenic because I "have voices in my head that aren't mine." And saying it seems to make people think I am schizophrenic.

So: am I schizophrenic, and how do I rid myself of these uncomfortable voices?

 

[Candleflames]

You're probably not schizophrenic. I have voices too though they aren't the voices of people I know. My doc asked me that so it is probably a significant detail that can give you insight into what is going on.

My doc reminds me from time to time that all roads lead to psychosis. That is anything taken to it's extreme can cause hallucinations. For me the auditory issues happens when my hypervigilance is out of control and/or I have a deep bout of depression. I also have visual, um, distortions, I guess we can call it, that is related to the above and my dissociation.

You should talk to your doc in more detail so you can figure out what the most likely cause is. In the mean time remind yourself that even sleep deprivation can cause auditory and visual hallucinations.

:)

 

[open eyes]

Many mental or even physical conditions can cause auditory hallucinations, not just schizophrenia. I have a friend who is otherwise perfectly stable but her severe depression caused her awful hallucinations, auditory, tactile & visual. My Bipolar disorder causes me hallucinations when I get stressed. So basically, you don't have to be schizophrenic to hear voices. A number of things= even lack of sleep- can manifest as hallucinations.

No one on this website can diagnose you as schizophrenic, or bipolar or depressed or anything else. We're not doctors. However you do have some pretty alarming symptoms. The best advice I can give to you is to see a professional psychiatrist, & in the mean time, work on making yourself less anxious. No matter what the cause, anxiety will only worsen hallucinations. You're not crazy. Plenty of sane people have hallucinations.

 

[Kashi]

I wouldn't really consider them auditory hallucinations.

They're just voices inside my head---nothing to do with my ears---like my own. Sometimes I talk to myself in my head, and other times, I hear and even chat with the voices of people I knew. Like "What would they say" sort of deal.

 

[open eyes]

Is it the same kind of a voice that you hear when you think to yourself or read a book?

 

[Kashi]

Yes.

 

[open eyes]

Be careful with what terminology you use if you go see a professional. Actually hearing voices is much different & a whole different problem. What you have is more of an obsession than a hallucination.

 

[joeylittle]

Is it the same kind of a voice that you hear when you think to yourself or read a book?

That's a great way to describe it. There is a significant clinical difference between voices in your head and voices you hear that are outside of your head, and actually in the room with you. The "I hear voices" thing is a really poor descriptor (not you, the general public) of one symptom of a mental illness with a pretty hefty criteria. Again, cannot diagnose over the internet - talk with your doctor about it.

Meanwhile, you can try counting your breath. Its a fairly straightforward way to practice a little mindfulness, and make the only voice in your head be your own, counting. If you like music, putting on some music and even singing along (out loud) will also "fill" that ruminative space pretty well. Give your mind something else to look at. I do hope you can get some relief from this, it sounds like you are really in some suffering about it.

 

[Tinyflame]

I have never heard voices but I default sometimes to thinking of myself or describing myself (and my present and future) using people who were abusive's words (terms).

 

[Justmehere]

I agree with @open eyes and @joeylittle - no one here can diagnose you. Lots of mental health and medical conditions can cause someone to hear voices. I had a trauma psychiatrist tell me once that 10% of people will hear voices at some point in their lifetime. I'm not sure how accurate that is, but she seemed to know her stuff and it was a remarkable statistic. Psychology Today indicates that 77% of people who hear voices do so after a traumatic event and that the way they feel about the traumatic event shapes how they feel about the voices.

One thing that happens in schizophrenia is that people with it generally believe the voices are real and they generally have delusional thinking patterns. If they hear a voice, they really believe someone is actually talking to them. You seem to have insight that these voices are not real, but the voices of people from your past. Only a doctor or therapist can say for sure, but it doesn't sound quite like schizophrenia. It may be within the spectrum of a PTSD-type reaction to the trauma you have been through.

Do you have a counselor or doctor you can talk to about this?

 

[Kashi]

I do have a doctor I can talk to.

Two, in fact.

 

[Philippa]

I think sometimes the abusive words of people from our past can stick in our heads, and they come up when a person feels vulnerable...at least that has been my experience.

Is it possible you have been down on yourself lately and these things from the past are coming up to haunt you?