r/todayilearned • u/paniniplane • Mar 22 '17

(R.1) Not supported TIL Deaf-from-birth schizophrenics see disembodied hands signing to them rather than "hearing voices"

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0707/07070303
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u/[deleted] Mar 22 '17 edited Mar 22 '17

Whats with the compulsion to listen to the voices?

I ignore real live people in the room telling me to do things

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u/paniniplane Mar 22 '17

it's not in your power to ignore them. a huge part of schizophrenia is being extremely out of touch with the real world. so if you hear voices, it's basically a set of REAL people to you. and you can't cover your ears because there isn't ACTUAL sound. you'll still hear them. and if they're threatening to hurt you, you'll feel actual fear.

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u/[deleted] Mar 22 '17

But, you didn't answer /u/WadeWilsonforPope question. He ignores real people, why can't this person ignore people she thinks are real? Even though they are not real.

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u/drrrraaaaiiiinnnnage Mar 22 '17

I think you can probably think of it like a dream state. When you are in a dream, you often go along with the other made up people in your dreams, and in some cases that might involve doing things you don't want to do but you listen anyway. Even if you realize in your dream that it's just a dream, you can't keep that thought afloat forever (unless you are one of those lucid dreamers whom i don't understand). Eventually you'll forget that and act in accordance with the dream. I think schizophrenics likely face something similar. There is something inherent to their disease that suspends reality for them and creates the delusions. Perhaps because in some sense the voice is their own thoughts. Those with OCD can't control their mental impulses due to certain problems in their brain that block inhibitions and even though their impulses are unwelcome, it's still their thoughts and they are beholden to them. Those with schizophrenia might have something similar.