Why do people hear voices?

Question

I hear voices but I don't know why. I just know I was abused since I was 3 years old and when I turned five I strted hearing voices that tell me to hurt myself. Could that be the reason I hear them.

Answer 1

Auditory hallucinations are usually caused by psychiatric illnesses, most commonly schizophrenia and psychotic mood disorders.

Answer 2

people who hear voices are unable to tell whether a thought is their own, or at least some part of their brain doesn't realize the thought is their own. and the disorder could come from parents sending mixed emotional messages that cause the sufferer (of schizophrenia or whatever it is) to doubt their perception of reality. probably the reason the voices "tell you to hurt yourself" is lowered self-esteem from being abused, that might have made you feel less valuable. but that isn't true and everyone is a valuable person, you should seek a psychologist to help you realize this and maybe prescribe an antipsychotic. and to the people who said "you can't actually hear voices", or "that happens to everyone" that isn't true, you can really "hear" voices that don't come thru ur "ears" cuz there is another area of the brain that processes what you hear, it is partially stimulated when u remember a noise u heard that ur not currently hearing, probly also partly stimulated when u dream or take certain drugs. schizophrenics have overstimulation in this area, and there are meds that can cancel out the overstimulation.

Answer 3

Hearing voices is a type of psychosis. Psychosis can have a few causes--organic brain disorder (like brain miswiring), physical stress, psychological stress, substance abuse.

Depending on what other sorts of thoughts and symptoms you're experiencing, voices can be part of any number of psychiatric conditions (depression, bipolar, schizophrenia). That condition was probably set off by the abuse and is in some part a type of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

After traumatic experiences, victims often have difficulty valuing and taking care of themselves. It's especially understandable if parental figure(s) was not sufficiently supportive/protective during the child's development. Sometimes that traumatic response manifests itself as voices (for example having a dialogue about what you're feeling, role playing/re-enacting the abuse, punishing yourself, completely nonsensical/confusing thoughts etc). If you go to a psychiatrist he/she will know what to do. It's an understandable condition after that childhood and the voices are easily treatable with medications. Treatment for the trauma is also well established with talk therapy.

Basically, you just need to accept that you are a valuable person and the voices are wrong. They're not a "natural" part of you. They're the injured child part of you. You need a doctor to help fix them and give your brain a healthy outlet for those stressors. I'll be crossing my fingers for you hoping it's not more severe like bipolar disorder or schizophrenia you're dealing with too. Good luck figuring it all out!

Answer 4

It could be the abuse. It could be a medical/psychiatric problem brought on or even unrelated to the abuse.
Abuse by another sends the message to the abused that they are not valuable or only valuable for one thing. The voice telling you to hurt yourself could be saying the same thing. THE ABUSER was/is WRONG. You are important for all kinds of reasons. Don't listen to the voice. It is no more correct than the abuser.
Tell someone who loves you about the voices. Get to a doctor that can help you find out what is wrong. Ask for help. It takes a lot of courage, but you can get help.

Answer 5

Auditory hallucinations have numerous causes, and yes trauma from past abuse can be a contributing factor, although other factors need to be present as well. It is likely there is a history of mental illness in your family. You might want to have a full psychiatric assessment done and carefully look around for a treatment model that works for you. Be aware that if you choose the psychiatric route you are in for medications with nasty side effects, whereas if you choose natural treaments you are more likely to be successful and without as many side effects.

I highly recommend that you read a book called THESE PAINTED WINGS by Autumn Stringham. Get it right away; it is not expensive. You can click on the link in "source" to find it. Autumn heard voices, went the psychiatric route, and eventually found her answer in what she calls a miracle that her father discovered. It a true story, very well written, and just may help you. It and the particular treatment it talks about actually saved my life.

Answer 6

I hope you will see a psychiatrist and discuss this with him or her. If you don't like the person you are seeing you can see someone else. I used to work in psych but I am not a doctor. I would often see people that had depression with psychotic features and it was not unusual for them to hear voices telling them to hurt themselves. Of course, there are other things that can cause this which is why you need a physician that is familiar with the brain and how it works. They learn how to determine what is the most likely cause of your voices.
Hope you get help soon, you are experiencing something many people are experiencing or have experienced and there is effective help out there for you! Take care!

Answer 7

People don't. They are just making them up in a different part of the brain and confuse themselves and others love to convince them that they do and medication is somehow very important because it clearly makes them feel good that they made someone feel like a psycho. And there are others who say that it is God's message or something. Oh, well....

I can change the pronoun "I" to "you" in every sentence and get everyone to believe that I am hearing voices. What crap! I am making up the the sentences in my head, I can change the pronouns whenever I feel like it. Doesn't mean I am hearing voices, just means I am being creative. Too creative for everyone's comfort though -- since everyone strongly believes that sentence formation in the head is automatic and I "can't help it" -- yeah right! I can think freely in three different languages at my own free will -- that is not 'voices' -- that is me who studied hard to get to do that in other languages over extensive periods of time. Yes, maybe I should have just watched television and made everybody feel comfortable about me, but I like brain stimulation and I did that. I can easily debate from two points of view too, because I spent time understanding them. I know I am very "abnormal", but puhleez don't tell me it's "voices". I like doing this stuff -- and is certainly not out of my control. Some people who have no control over their own minds, go on and believe that it's "voices". Rubbish!

You can't "hear" voices unless they come through your "ears".


Rest of it is just making up imaginary stories to cope with the stress of being abused.

Don't fool yourself.

Answer 8

my 10 yr old son heard voices taht told him to hurt someone and for him to run into traffic,he has been on medsfor 9mths and is doing great,,, they have lots of good meds nowdays with little or no side affects,,,,,,,go get help'youll feel much better ok take care friend

Answer 9

It sounds like Schizophrenia. Another really good book to read is"The day the voices stopped". fantastic book!

Answer 10

well, abuse might not be the cause. it might be a chemical imbalance. i hear voices (or i would if i wasnt on meds), and i was never abused. just see a doc and get on meds, cuz they can turn really violent.