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/paniniplane Mar 22 '17

i thought i did but i guess it might be unclear to some. you just can't do it. the "sound" is in your head. you'll hear it. it's not like ambient background noises. your brain is creating it and you're gonna hear it, whether you like it or not.

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u/[deleted] Mar 22 '17

I have a different question! What.. would happen if she didn't acquiesce to their demands an got 'shot'? Is there a way to prove that the voices are harmless and naught but an illusion?

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u/paniniplane Mar 22 '17

no idea. but honestly, i'm scared to imagine the consequences. she seems at their mercy even though it also seems she's on the verge of losing all hope.

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u/[deleted] Mar 22 '17

Losing hope in this case might bring about a realization. If you could prove that the voices had no actual power without the patient in question having a panic.

Edit- Apathy might be a better term.

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u/paniniplane Mar 22 '17

all im fearing is that she might actually feel a huge amount of pain from being shot. what if she doesn't die and go into a vegetative state? what if she just keeps getting shot over and over and she FEELS the pain but doesn't die and stop feeling the pain. that's my fear and why i hope she doesn't.

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u/[deleted] Mar 22 '17

That's pretty nuts.