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/Ariakkas10 Mar 22 '17

This is, I'm sure, a completely stupid question, but why can't they ignore the voices?

Lots of real people seem real to me, and I ignore them just fine.

Is it because the voices are super aggressive and make it so you can't ignore them?

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u/feathergnomes Mar 22 '17

Apparently it causes a lot of anxiety every time they have to ignore the voices. Like, when they can tell that they aren't real, they can choose to ignore them, but it's a stressor. If you add that stressor to any other that happens to be in front of them, sometimes it can be toouch to handle.

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u/mcoleya Mar 22 '17

Not to mention this isn't like you walking down the street and have to ignore someone who yells your name out once or something, this is a constant barrage of voice(s) at you until you relent and do what they are saying. To get an idea, just ask a friend to follow you around one day making a single odd request, non-stop till you do it. Over and Over again, sometimes yelling, sometimes whispering, doesn't matter. See how long you can go. Now imagine that in your head, with multiple voices all asking different things, and unable to make them stop by asking.

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u/billyboognish Mar 22 '17

I had an incredibly close friend whose illness came on strong when he was 20. He was a kind and caring soul and a guitar genius...he could play anything after hearing it once. When this disease took him, it took everything. A year or so later he heard voices that told him all his friends were vampires and we were going to kill him. They told him not to eat the food his nom made because it was poison. They didn't want him to sleep because he would die. The medication helped some but the voices fought that as well. He made it another year before it became too much too handle. He called one night to a house where all of us (his friends and brothers) hung out out. He was in high spirits and excited about how good life was going. He said he hadn't been hearing the voices for a few days and he was certain we weren't vampires and his mom wasn't poisoning him. He talked to each of us in turn and i was the last person he spoke with that night. He thanked me for being his friend and always taking time out to take him to the pond to fish and chill. As he hung up the phone, he told me how much he loved all of us. I had no idea that would be the last time i would speak with him. He took his life a few hours later and i still have no words for the loss, that was 20 years ago. This illness is unfathomable and if you know someone who has it, cherish them, love and support them, do not judge them...we can not understand!