Interventions for Auditory Hallucinations

[Isastorm]

Hello all....Do any of you have ideas for assisting patients with auditory hallucinations? I'm looking for things patients can do on their own.. She is a 20 something female who is tortured by almost constant auditory hallucinations. She has stated that listening to music doesn't really help. Talking to someone does help and it would be awesome if we actually had talk therapy available but...we don't. I can usually give her 15 minutes of time where I mostly listen, and she says it helps just to talk, but of course there are 20+ other people who require my attention. She is currently compliant with her medications but they don't seem to be alleviating the voices. I have been doing a little research and it seems that vocalizing (humming,singing, talking ---I'd rather not encourage screaming) may help to diminish the AHs or concentrating on something enjoyable to the person...say scrapbooking (something she has said she likes). Anyone know of anything else that would be reasonable to try in a sort of chaotic state psych facility?

Thanks for your input !

[Isastorm]

Also, just found this which looks like a good place to start....

http://www.neomed.edu/academics/bestcenter/list-of-60-coping-strategies-for-hallucinations.pdf

[CapeCodMermaid, RN]

I had a patient like that....headphones didn't work. What did work was for her to go into her room and tell the voices to **** off. This woman never swore so using that word had some sort of magic power for her. It worked. Keep trying things but realize that she may always hear them.

[RNstars]

I concur with CapeCodMermaid. I've had a few patients (older) who have been plagued by AH that they are able to manage some of the time. but when the AH became too much/intense, telling the voices to F off helps. I frequently suggest this technique to patients (in politer terms I tell them to tell the voice(s) to "shut up" and "go away"). Some find it helpful, while some dont- but mostly I think it helps them feel validated that they are hearing something unusual and offers them the opportunity to take control of the situation.

[Mandychelle79, ASN, RN]

Ive had patients use the eff off method also. When I have a patient having AH I tell them I have three questions. 1- Telling you to hurt yourself or others? 2-Bothersome to you? 3- Degrading you? If they answer NO to all the questions, I tell them Im ok with them hearing things that I cant, and to let me know if any of those answers turn to YES and we will work together to help control them.

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

I am going to have to remember this the next time I have auditory hallucinations, which (fortunately) only happen when I'm severely manic. With me, they take the form of classical music that (to my knowledge) has never been composed, or static like when you're between two different radio stations. Thank you!

[Isastorm]

Thank you VivaLasViejas for describing your personal experience with auditory hallucinations. I find it to be very interesting. Are any of these songs stored in your memory, as in can you recall the tunes when you are no longer manic? I have been spending some time today trying to understand the subjective experience of what others might be hearing in their minds (hallucinating or not).

Led me to this:

Diversity of Voices Nev Jones: Madness Radio â€" Beyond Meds

and this:

https://www.dur.ac.uk/hearingthevoice/

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

Interesting!

No, I don't recall the "songs", because they just sounded like bits of classical music cobbled together in ways that didn't make sense. They were beautiful though, with the distinct sounds of harps and violins.....the music was actually quite soothing, even though I was alarmed at hearing it at 3 in the morning when not a creature was stirring in the house. I almost woke up my husband to ask if HE had heard it, but then I thought he'd think I was insane so I didn't ask him about it till the next day. He, of course, had NOT heard anything.

It happened again during the mixed-mood episode I had in late February and early March, only this time it was like static, the way you hear it sometimes when the radio is between two different stations. Only the radio wasn't on, and neither were any of the TVs in the house. Hubs was out buying groceries. The dog and the cats were all asleep so I couldn't blame them for anything. Scared the bejeebers out of me.

I'm not schizophrenic, so I don't know what it's like to hear actual voices or see things that aren't there (except when I have a high fever, which is when I REALLY come off the spool). I don't even like to admit that I have, indeed, hallucinated....but then, it's only happened during the last couple of serious mood episodes.I hope it never does again, it's just freaky.

[maxthecat]

Viva, do you have hearing loss? I ask because what you are describing sounds like something that can occur when people have hearing loss. It is not related to mental illness. If you Google "hearing music that isn't there" you can find descriptions of this phenomenon.

I experience this myself and try not to let it bother me, although the first time I was pretty freaked out!

As far as what helps people cope with voices, I too have seen that telling the voices to go away does seem to help some people.

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

Viva, do you have hearing loss? I ask because what you are describing sounds like something that can occur when people have hearing loss. It is not related to mental illness. If you Google "hearing music that isn't there" you can find descriptions of this phenomenon.

I experience this myself and try not to let it bother me, although the first time I was pretty freaked out!

As far as what helps people cope with voices, I too have seen that telling the voices to go away does seem to help some people.

That's interesting! Before it happened to me, I barely knew people even had auditory hallucinations. The thing with me is, my hearing is excellent and the hallucinations happened only during manic or mixed episodes---never during a depression, and never when I'm euthymic. So I doubt what you and I experience is the same thing, although I wish that were the case. And it does work when I tell the sounds to go away.

[Whispera, MSN, RN]

Have you seen the new television show, "Black Box"? The main character has bipolar disorder, and when manic has musical hallucinations. In the last episode she said her medications take the music away, and she misses it...and finds that a negative to taking her medications.

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

I have seen the show, and in fact I wrote a review on it in the Break Room. This last episode was better than the first two IMHO, and I do sort of empathize with Catherine on missing her mania. Well, I don't miss the actual manic part, I miss the hypomania where every day is the BESTEST DAY EVER and everything looks, smells, sounds, and is MAGNIFICENT! I miss the energy and the boundless optimism and the breezy feeling that nothing will ever go wrong again......

But sanity is better, so unlike Catherine, I'm compliant with my treatment regimen. And the only music I hear these days is from the stereo or my iPod. :)