Hearing multiple inner voices was once treated as a sign of psychosis – but could we learn deeper truths by listening to what they say? In an edited extract from his new book, psychologist Charles Fernyhough explores a radical new approach to mental illness.
Whilst hearing voices alone shouldn’t IMO necessarily be seen as psychosis it is often accompanied by other symptoms that are indicative of psychosis .
On the other hand if you are hearing benign voices giving helpful advice then it would be highly questionable to pathologise you .
The trick is knowing when auditory hallucinations are a benign process or part of something that can be severely disabling.
It’s HVN’s somewhat anti psychiatry stance and close ties to sites like Mad in America that make it a questionable organisation.
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I don’t know, I read it. Not all of it, just ended up clicking on the text, blue to white, highlighted to not. And then didn’t read further. I related. My mother in fact, she was the first to present me an alternative option, she bought me the book Toxic Psychiatry, she tried to convince me to leave my psych doc and yet she’s been in on trying to have me committed to the state institution for years. I don’t know what to do with those kind of contridictions, which my life has been full of.
I have had maybe 5 voices in my head at a time so I probably don’t qualify. I can say that while they might be helpful and get you through some trying times, chances are you are probably functioning at so low a level that such help would not be needed at a higher level of functioning. Anyways voices lead to delusions, you start out by talking about them thinking them interesting, then after awhile, drs stop asking you about them and you mostly stop talking about them. In RL its practically impossible to get someone interested in what your voices are saying. If a Dr asked me at this stage I would get offended unless I was getting ready to be hospitalized.
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why would its ties to mad in america and anti psychiatry activists make it a questionable organization ? theyre all about radical new approaches to mental illness and are nothing but that great article !!! actually the idea of listening to the voices and learning from them is an old one old old ,the modern (rip off of) " psychiatry " is about ignoring them and making them go away with meds they are anti - psychiatry if the word applies to any group of people but yea great idea people need to be less compliant and demand that change or it wont just happen because it makes sense the entire system is motivated by money
There is nothing radical in arguing mental illnesses don’t exist as many MIA supporters do. The radicalism comes in arguing for better approaches and treatments for what can be very disabling problems. It’s easy to knock down a house. It’s much harder to build a better one.
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its an opinion on mental illness did that opinion ever hurt you ? its a free country where you can think whatever you want thoughts on topics philosophies dont hurt people theyre not holding any needles or guns eh?
Trivialising mental illness can have serious consequences that affect everyone.
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oh really like what exactly? nevermind im going to bed its late good article thanks for posting good night
I’m confused here.
Yes trivializing mental illness has pretty much had the result of it being something we can’t talk about in our everyday lives and has had such consequences as human rights abuses against a margianalized segment of society.
Apologies, folks, I seem to have unleashed an anti psychiatry troll. @shutterbug @SzAdmin if you want to close down this thread that’s all right by me.
that is exactly how I would describe my mental process. its like this. Ill settle get content then hear a multiple thought process phrase like “how is it”
how is the phrase
how am I
where the “hell” is my charlettown trips
how are you
it is like I am hearing 100 voices and I’m just guessing imaginatively what theyre saying. it is a very therepudic thing, I can create alternate escape like realities with 100 minds working at once… lol seriously I get that.
Yeah its fun until they start talking back to you. I guess I am going to go take my meds now. Gnight!
apologies were not asked for or needed firemonkey ye doth protest too much i was just giving my opinion thats not the definition of trolling
i can see how trivializing our own mental illnesses could be good for us, making our problems smaller than they actually are,
i talk to myself in a good way, a healthy way if you can believe that, maybe if i was unmedicated it would be harder to control but i think making it less of a big thing might help.
Actually, yes. I tried your approach. It damaged my health, my finances, and my marriage. Things are back on track now thanks to the miracles of modern medicine and medications. Oh, and Mrs. Pixel has threatened to pour me a pair of cement overshoes and toss me overboard if I ever try that again. She acts like she means it.
one of my older pals (who rip isn’t with us anymore) had schizophrenia and it was the best advice I heard for my specific condition he said “schizophrenias a lot about having an overactive imagination”
it showed me that in a medicated state I could take that knowledge knowing it already and call it just that… my imagination.
some people do great off meds some dont getting off meds saved my life
Out of the hundreds of SZs I know online and off, I can think of one who is doing well without meds. Only one.
i dont think they are trivializing mental illness , they are mentally ill people themselves - they just want people to look at it a different way without the stigma society has placed on it . just listen to what they have to say for yourself not just from people who are against the protesters there is a LOT that is wrong
well congratulations on having a lot of friends on medication