Voices

I have only ever heard a voice twice. And both times it was pretty scary. There are people whose voices are constantly with them. It is not always a bad thing. People might have experienced voices for years and from an objective point of view are very impoverished – no job, no family, nowhere to go, nothing to do. However their inner life might be pretty good if the voices are kind and offer a sense of purpose.My CPN (community psychiatric nurse) told me of one of his clients. He was hearing voices and duly medicated to get rid of them. But once they were gone he was bereft – they were his only friends. Likewise delusions – if one is deluded that one is a very special person then it seems unkind to take that away if there is nothing to replace it with.

But there is no doubt that many people are plagued by their voices.A person with schizophrenia in an acute phase is often severely thought disordered and riddled with frightening delusions which are fed by the voices. But they will generally be convinced that they are fine mentally. In this state there is a higher risk of suicide and exploitation and without treatment they are likely to detioriate. So the medics step in and prescribe medication which, if necessary, can forcibly be dispensed. Is it a case of the nanny state interfering in individuals lives or a case of acting in the best interests of someone incapable of making a decision.