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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They appear to the person suffering from them as separate entities speaking to them, not as part of their inner monologue.
The really interesting thing is how it presents differently in different cultures. In Europe and North America, the voices are almost always negative or hostile, telling the person to harm themselves or others or encouraging paranoia.
A study done in India and Ghana found that the voices heard by schizophrenia sufferers usually present as if they were deities or ancestors guiding the person with advice. Many people report getting advice from the voices that in some cases saved their lives. Mostly, the worst interaction people in these countries have with those voices is when the voices are nagging them to finish household chores.
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