Are these voices psychosis?

Don't touch me · Feb 12, 2011, 10:44 PM

I hear voices in my head... They feel like thoughts stuck in my head, repeating over and over. I don't know where they come from, but they are random. Like I can hear "Check it. Check it. Check it." In a woman's voice, Then a guy saying "Don't worry."
But they sound like an old recording. They are staticy and sound like they are either in my head, or right against my ear.
Does anyone who hears voices think that I am hallucination, or is it OCD?

mgran · Feb 13, 2011, 11:33 AM

I'm afraid I don't know. They must be maddening though... have you told your doctor about them?

Don't touch me · Feb 13, 2011, 12:34 PM

My therapist yes, pdoc no. I'm afraid they aren't serious. I was put on anti-psychotics though because anti-depressants don't work on me alone. I have several schizophrenic aunts and uncles, so I'm concerned.

mgran · Feb 13, 2011, 02:47 PM

Sorry to ask, but how old are you?

I'm not schizophrenic, schizoaffective, so have some symptoms in common. Maybe you just have a tendency, or a few symptoms?

Don't touch me · Feb 13, 2011, 05:19 PM

I'm seventeen, gonna be eighteen in August.

mgran · Feb 14, 2011, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Don't touch me

I'm seventeen, gonna be eighteen in August.

It's worth getting checked out. Apparently schizophrenia develops mostly in young adults. But remember it could be something else, OCD does sound a possibility. Finding out early will help with either outcome.

The fact that you know the voices aren't real is a good thing.

Carole07 · Feb 14, 2011, 08:54 AM

I hear voices the same way that you do. Except sometimes I can't tell if the voice is real or not. The voices tell me all kinds of things, but the most common thing that I hear is "I'm sorry." Why is this voice always apologizing to me? I don't know. My doctor diagnosed me with psychosis nos. However, the therapist believes that I might have schizoeffective disorder as well. I asked a therapist on this website what my diagnosis could be because I was not too pleased with having psychosis nos. The therapist said that the diagnosis is not that important, but the treatment is important. Has the antipsychotic drug worked for you at all?

mgran · Feb 14, 2011, 09:02 AM

Atypical antipsychotics worked for me. How long have you been on antipsychotics, dtm?

costello · Feb 14, 2011, 09:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Don't touch me

Does anyone who hears voices think that I am hallucination, or is it OCD?

I don't hear voices, so I didn't answer this question before. It sounded like you wanted input from people who'd been there.

I wanted to say, though, that you may be mixing symptoms with diagnoses. If you're hearing a voice that no one else is hearing you're hallucinating. But whether it's a symptom of an illness and which illness requires more information.

If I told you I had a cough, you wouldn't know if I had a cold or tb or lung cancer or emphysema or allergies or ...

My son's voices sometimes do what you've described - repeat a word or phrase over and over. He finds it incredibly irritating. I wish I could convince him to take up vipassana meditation, so he could practice just sitting and watching the voices without judging, suppressing or attaching to them.

Don't touch me · Feb 14, 2011, 02:00 PM

@Carole07. I see. I sometimes think it's real until I realize I am alone. I sometimes(usually when I'm depressed) have thoughts shoved into my head about how bad I am and can feel people saying negative things about me.

@mgran Almost two weeks. And I didn't used to think they weren't real. I used to think somebody was outside my window until I got a dog and he didn't hear it.

costello You are so right.

mgran · Feb 14, 2011, 03:06 PM

Has this been getting better or worse since the antipsychotics?

You describe another symptom ... "thought insertion," feeling thoughts being shoved into your head, as well as sensing negative thoughts from others. This combined with the fact that, in the past you haven't been able to tell whether or not the voices are real might suggest a more serious disorder. I still wouldn't want to say for sure if it was on the schizophrenic spectrum, but it's a possibility. Let us know how it goes with your next appointment.

Don't touch me · Feb 14, 2011, 11:18 PM

My next one is tomorrow. I have been feeling a bit better since the medication.

mgran · Feb 16, 2011, 06:35 PM

I'm glad you're feeling a bit better.

Confused1441 · Feb 16, 2011, 07:10 PM

hi i can uderstand how you feel about the vocies because ive been experiencing them too always in a mans voice telling me that im no good useless a waste of life their always their i just need help i guess but i dont know how to tell my family.

mgran · Feb 17, 2011, 09:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Confused1441

hi i can uderstand how you feel about the vocies because ive been experiencing them too always in a mans voice telling me that im no good useless a waste of life their always their i just need help i guess but i dont know how to tell my family.

I know that feeling of confusion as to how to tell family. I was scared that if they knew I'd end up in the "mental" like my mother, so I withdrew from them, and they didn't know why. My brother seems to have guessed some of what was up with me, and he's the only one who knows my true diagnoses... bipolar seems easier to explain than schizoaffective, and I knew that as soon as my Dad heard "schizo" he'd panic. As it is, he keeps asking me how long it will be before I can stop taking my meds. I've gained weight on them, and he's worried about that. He also keeps encouraging me to learn to drive, and I don't have the heart to tell him that I'm not allowed to drive. (It makes me very stressed and triggers hallucinations, not something you want when you're in a big metal weapon of mass destruction.)

But I have been able to explain most of my symptoms to them, and they accept I have an illness, and i'ts nobody's fault, not mine, not theres. Since I've been more open about my illness, and accepted help I've found it much easier to be open with my family... I talk to them regularly on the phone, I remember to send cards for their birthdays, and I don't immediately think they're out to get me. Particularly noticeable is how much better I'm getting on with my brother.

I would say write down your thoughts and concerns, and give your letter to the family member you think is most likely to not freak, and approach the issue practically. How old are you? I think I started to get ill when I was about sixteen (at least that's when the hallucinations started, and it's when I started thinking the police were spying on me.) The sooner you get help, the better your long term prognosis.

Don't touch me · Feb 17, 2011, 08:24 PM

Thanks for the responses.

milkblood · Feb 20, 2011, 08:21 PM

do you hear the voices in your head or through your ears, like if someone is talking to you?

i ask because i too hear voices but only in my head. it's very hard to explain but when i finally told someone about it i was diagnosed with dissociative disorder NOS