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Hearing voices in a non-psychiatric population
Catherine Lawrence1, Jason Jones, Myra Cooper
1Solihull Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, UK.
Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy
|May 6, 2010
Summary
Many individuals in the general population hear voices and do not experience significant distress. This study highlights the diverse experiences of voice hearers outside of clinical settings.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Psychology
- Mental Health Research
Background:
- Many individuals hear voices but do not seek psychiatric services, leaving their experiences under-researched.
- Difficulty in contacting non-clinical voice hearers presents a significant research challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate beliefs about voices, experienced distress, and the nature of voice-hearing experiences in a non-psychiatric population.
- To explore the characteristics of voice hearing in individuals not accessing mental health services.
Main Methods:
- An internet-based quantitative questionnaire study was employed.
- 184 participants from the general population who hear voices completed online measures.
- The study assessed anxiety, depression, and beliefs about their dominant voice.
Main Results:
- Participants reported diverse voice-hearing experiences, some aligning with findings from clinical populations.
- Experiences varied, indicating a broad spectrum of voice hearing in the general population.
Conclusions:
- The internet is a viable tool for recruiting and studying non-clinical samples of voice hearers.
- Findings suggest voice hearing exists on a continuum, with many general population individuals experiencing it without distress.
- The study provides demographic and experiential data on a substantial sample of non-clinical voice hearers.
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