ELI5, Schizophrenic Voices. Are they “legitimate” voices in your head, or more like an extra intrusive normal voice similar to you saying to yourself in your head, “I need to buy bread today”.
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I grew up with schizophrenia. My delusions started when I was 4, and I remember hearing my first voice at around 8. It was a hill on the playground I named Tracky. I experience external voices, internal voices, intrusive thoughts, and thought insertion. Here is how I would describe each:
External voices or, more often for me, music is just like hearing someone else talking to you or a radio playing in the next room. I wish I knew music because they are original songs and I would love to write them down. Usually, it’s classical music; that time I heard country music was just torture! I do sometimes not respond to people, especially in large groups, because I don’t realize it’s a real person.
Internal voices are more common for me. Most of these voices have names and personalities attached to them, like Tracky. When I was 12 several girls my age came to live in my head. They would talk to me, respond when I spoke to them, and speak to each other. My main voice, April, is my older alien sister. When I came to Earth she found a way to talk to me through technology and brought the other girls with her. Each of these voices sound different to me even though they are in my head.
Intrusive thoughts are easily recognized as mine, just really hurtful. A lot like negative self talk or images that I can’t control.
Thought insertion is like an intrusive thought but I don’t recognize it as coming from my own head. Unlike the voices, these thoughts do not interact with me but are just dropped into my head.
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