Auditory hallucinations usually known as "voices" is a feature of several psychiatric illnesses. Auditory hallucinations involve perceiving sound without an auditory stimulation. It's presumed to be pathology or a symptom that reveals 'psychosis' (a break from reality) caused by substance abuse or other medical/psychiatric illnesses that needs to be medicated. Other studies have shown auditory hallucinations are correlated with an increase in activity of the thalamic and strietal subcortical nuclei, paralimbic and hypothalamus regions in the brain. Metabolism and dopamine neurotransmitters are what treated and is implicated with a number of antipsychotic medications. The treatment and resolution of the symptom continues to be the way medicine and psychiatry traditionally monitors development in patients. - psychiatrist New York
There's on-going research that supports the prevalence of auditory hallucinations having a lack of other conventional psychotic symptoms (such as delusions or paranoia). Discerning genuine auditory hallucinations from "sounds" or a normal internal dialogue is important since the latter occurrences is just not indicative of mental illness.
Thisphenomenonological surveyby Angela Woods et al that was done on 153 areas is new in that it studies a wide selection of people that has many different investigations. However, it's crucial to notice that the survey was put online and advertised for people who 'heard voices'. Thus, the results do not reflect the prevalence of auditory hallucinations in the general or illness -specific people. The study had other constraints 2.5 times as many women as men completed the survey, it was only offered in English, there was no verification of self-reports and the 'coding' of characteristics was done by the researchers but not independently volunteered. Acutely ill individuals were "certainly" (by researchers's entry) underrepresented in this survey. The authors in their own self-appraisal note: "Although individuals from black and minority ethnic sources are up to nine times more likely than people from other ethnic origins to present with symptoms of psychosis, 'they're underrepresented in this study'."
This study is intriguing because it raises questions of what "imagined sound" is: passive or uncontrolled fanciful understandings vs. perceptual hallucinations The results show that 81% heard multiple voices with different "character " qualities (that means they were of specific age, sex and had distinct identities) that were expressed internally within the head (as opposed to outside as if the voices heard 'were in the room') and were 'conversational' (that is the voices or thoughts talk with the individual or with each other). Somewhat less than half of the studied group heard it as "voices" while the others "heard" it as thoughts or assorted thoughts and voices. Two thirds (66%) reported bodilysensations (referred to as tactile hallucinations in general psychiatry) and these sensations were connected with abusive or violent voices. Of note, is that one-third reported favorable emotions, one-third neutral emotions along with the rest emotions of pressure, depression, panic and anxiety. Moreover, the survey reported that 'command hallucinations' (which have already been presumed in general practice to be indicative of high risk of harm to self and others) was just prevalent in 5% of those participating.
*This study has no present useful clinical applicationfor people now suffering from hallucinations (auditory or tactile). Readers who are suffering or have family members experiencing internal voices or ideas should see their doctor for guidance.
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Alan Manevitz, M.D. is a Shrink in New York, where he maintains a private practice. Dr. Manevitz is a clinical associate professor at Payne Whitney-Weill Cornell Medical Center, an attending psychiatrist at New York Presbyterian and Lennox Hill Hospitals, and educates at the Weill-Cornell Medical School.
Dr. Manevitz has been named amongst the Top Doctors in America by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd., New York Time's Super Doctors, New York Magazine's Greatest Psychiatrists in New York, and Best Doctors of America. - psychiatrist New York