What can cause hearing controlling voices without psychosis?

Question

Hello doctor,

It started with just hearing outside voices, for instance, someone calling my name, but nobody would be there. Why do I hear voices if I have not been diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, psychosis, or psychotic depression? The voices are only mild, but I have controlling voices, voices that tell me to do bad things, voices that say horrible things about me and other people, and helpful voices. Also, voices talk to each other. I am currently taking Aripiprazole.

Kindly help.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I read your query and understood your concern.

It seems you are experiencing what is known as auditory verbal hallucination (AVH). This is a condition in which a person hears voices but does not exhibit other symptoms or signs of a clinical disorder. Research studies have shown that 1.5 to 3 percent of the general population experiences AVH. It is not yet established why some people hear voices without any other clinical disorder. However, current evidence from research studies suggests the following:

People experiencing AVH may have a childhood history of trauma.
There may be a family history of psychiatric disorder.
Although there is no diagnosed disorder associated with AVH, an individual’s overall functioning may be slightly lower than that of individuals who do not experience AVH.
The presence of AVH may indicate a slightly increased vulnerability to schizophrenia compared to the general population.
Individuals with AVH might exhibit schizotypal tendencies and a propensity toward delusional thinking.

Please note that these pointers are for you to consider whether any of these factors apply to your situation. With the knowledge that AVH may be associated with some tendencies, you can remain alert for certain clinical signs and consult your treating physician or mental health professional if such signs appear in the future.

Recent research has shown that hearing voices may result from disrupted inner speech monitoring, which leads to inner speech being perceived as external. Stimulation of specific brain areas via repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) may help reduce the severity of hallucinations. There is strong evidence supporting this theory. Researchers have identified tiny movements of the vocal processes when people think. They amplified signals from these vocal processes and found they matched the content of the hallucinations. This finding suggests that distracting the vocal process, for example, through humming during hallucinations, might help.

I hope this helps.

Kindly follow up if you have more doubts.

Thank you.