Hear voices in your head? It's only a problem if you disagree with them

  • Patients find voices in their heads pleasant if what they say matches their views
  • Yet, internal voices that contrast with their goals causes a patient distress
  • Researchers believe internal voices should be directed towards a person's goals
  • They add this may empower people who hear dialogues towards achievement 

People who hear voices that match their beliefs are more likely to react positively and find such internal dialogues pleasant, new research reveals.

Yet, internal voices that contrast with a person's opinions causes them distress, a study found.

Study author Dr Filippo Varese from the University of Manchester, said: 'Most voice-hearers with mental health difficulties in our study experienced their voices as a hindrance to achieving their goals, and viewed their voices as distressing and problematic.

'But other voice-hearers find that voices facilitate their valued goals, and are therefore a pleasant and constructive part of their lives.

'We should seek to help clients explore how their voices relate to goals that are important to them and empower them to progress towards those goals. 

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People who hear voices that correspond with their beliefs are more likely to react positively

People who hear voices that correspond with their beliefs are more likely to react positively

PREGNANT DIETERS ARE 30% MORE LIKELY TO HAVE A BABY THAT DEVELOPS SCHIZOPHRENIA IN LATER LIFE

Women who diet during pregnancy are 30 per cent more likely to have babies who develop schizophrenia in later life, research revealed back in March.

A study of more than half a million expectant mothers found that those who do not gain the medically recommended amount of weight – between one-and-a-half and two stone – have a significantly greater risk of having a child who develops the severe mental illness in adolescence.

Celebrity-led pressure on women to ‘snap back’ after giving birth is partly to blame, according to the researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.

The average weight gain for a non-overweight woman during pregnancy is between 22lb (10kg) and 27lb (12.2kg), according to NHS guidelines. 

Yet, anything up to 35lb (15.9kg) is considered within the healthy range.

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How the research was carried out 

Researchers from the University of Manchester interviewed 22 people who hear voices in their heads and 18 people who do not.

The study's participants were asked about their personal goals, how they react to any internal voices and the extent to which these voices interfere with them achieving their ambitions.

Key findings  

Results revealed that people who hear voices that correspond with their personal beliefs are more likely to react positively to them and find them pleasant.

Internal voices that contrast with a person's goals causes them distress.  

Dr Varese said: 'Most voice-hearers with mental health difficulties in our study experienced their voices as a hindrance to achieving their goals, and viewed their voices as distressing and problematic.

'But other voice-hearers find that voices facilitate their valued goals, and are therefore a pleasant and constructive part of their lives.

'We should seek to help clients explore how their voices relate to goals that are important to them and empower them to progress towards those goals. That would be a more meaningful and acceptable way of supporting them.' 

The findings were published in the journal Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice.