Verbal Auditory Hallucinations

Voices are verbal auditory hallucinations thought to be owned by schizophrenics only by the general public.  In fact voices are not exclusive to schizophrenics; manic and depressed persons can hear voices.  Psychological trauma, sexually abused women, combat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder can also have auditory hallucinations.

Voices can be caused by nonpsychiatric conditions; physical illnesses including:  brain tumors, Parkinson, migraine headaches, epilepsy, Alzheimers, and other delirium are know to cause people to hear voices.  Street drugs such as LSD, psychedelic mushrooms, ecstasy and cocaine cause hallucinations.  Alcohol especially during or after a binge can make someone experience voices.  Chronic alcoholics can and do hear voices much like schizophrenic voices so that it is difficult to tell them apart.

Some people can hear voices without any distress or impairment in functioning.  Grief hallucinations can occur when a person loses a spouse; they can hear the deceased person’s voice and some actually can hold a conversation with them.  The hallucination eases the mourning process.

Auditory hallucinations are not limited to the mentally ill.  Surveys done have shown that many people who do not suffer from mental or physical disorders can and do hear voices.  Voices are in history, in Greek literature and philosophy, Socrates heard voices of a Divine being giving guidance with everyday tasks.

Voices have been heard throughout history as muses, madmen and prophets.  It is time to rethink the experience of hearing auditory hallucinations.  The mentally ill are not the only ones to be condemned to the sounds of their minds but should be heard despite the hallucinations which need to be seen as an unusual and personal experience of life that has meaning and is not just a symptom of a disorder.