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Hearing voices is a type of hallucination. A hallucination is perceiving something that other people do not, such as hearing voices or seeing things. Research shows that 10-15% of people will hear voices or experience other hallucinations at some point in their lives. However, only 1% of the population is given a diagnosis of schizophrenia.
Hallucinations can be brought on by: Head injury, seizures, sleep disorders, side effects of prescribed drugs, use of drugs or alcohol, grief, stress, diseases Most people in modern-day western society associate hearing voices with mental illness, but not everyone shares this belief - in some cultures hallucinations are thought of as spiritual gifts.
This fact sheet provides information on the following:
- What are voices?
- The experience of hearing voices
- How do people deal with hearing voices?
- Further information.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that single copies of individual fact sheets are available free of charge to users of mental health services and their carers, but multiple copies are chargeable to organisations at the rates shown per copy. Photocopying of individual fact sheets by organisations is strictly prohibited.
