Strategies for Dealing with Distressing Voices

The following  is a culmination of discussions of different strategies which can help you to cope with distressing voices from the yahoo group "Voice Supporters" for people who hear voices, and those who support them either as friends, family members or professionals.

1) Distraction - put the radio on, or even better, an ipod with headphones.

2) Talk back to the voices. Challenge them. Ask them to go away.

3) Selective Listening - Give your voices an hour or so a day when you will listen to them. Bargain with them and say that if they are quiet now (at work for instance, or in the pub) then you will listen to what they have to say at an agreed time.

4) Talk to other people (who you can trust and who won't overreact) about your voices. Discuss what they say, how they say it, who the voices may represent. The more you understand your experience of voice hearing the easier it will become to cope with it.

5) Read about voices. Some good books are: "Recovery An Alien Concept" by Ron Coleman, "Accepting Voices" by Marius Romme and Sandra Escher, and "Hearing Voices a Common Human Experience" by John Watkins

6) Learn some relaxation techniques. If you become anxious because of your voices, use these techniques to get rid of the anxiety.

7) Write a letter to your voices. Maybe explain to them how you feel about them, how you would like them to behave, or anything that comes into your mind.

8) If you are out in public and you want to talk back to your voices without the stigma of supposedly talking to yourself, get a mobile phone, pretend to dial, and talk into that instead. If you don't have a mobile phone, ask around your friends to see if any of them have one which they don't use any more (remember the phone doesn't have to work).

9) Some people find that yawning or opening their mouths can help to block the sound of the voices.

10) Earplugs in one or both ears (experiment!) can help to block out disturbing voices.

11) Focus on one word and one word only. Repeat it, either in your mind or out loud, again and again. This turns the focus away from the voices and onto something else.

12) Take one day, one hour or one minute at a time during the difficult patches.

13) Do something fun that you enjoy once in awhile to reward yourself for putting up with the voices. You deserve it!

The VoiceSupporters Yahoo Group is open to anyone interested in the subject of hearing voices.

How to Recover from Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia differs from other mental illnesses in the intensity of care that it requires. A comprehensive treatment program includes:

•     Antipsychotic medication, which forms the cornerstone of treatment for schizophrenia
•     Education of the individual about his / her illness and treatment
•     Family education and support
•     Support groups and social skills training
•     Rehabilitation to improve the activities of daily living
•     Vocational and recreational support
•     Cognitive therapy
•     Integrated addictions program

The course of schizophrenia varies, but in most cases it involves recurrent episodes of symptoms. Although available pharmacological treatments can relieve many of the symptoms, most people with schizophrenia continue to suffer some symptoms throughout their lives.

Appropriate treatment early in the course of the disease and adherence to continued and adequate treatment are essential to avoiding relapses and preventing hospitalization. During periods of remission, whether spontaneous or due to treatment, the individual may function well. Newer medications (and improved dosage guidelines for older medications) have substantially reduced the prevalence of severe neurological side effects that were once commonly associated with long-term pharmacological treatment of schizophrenia.

Optimizing the functional status and wellbeing of individuals with schizophrenia requires a supportive family and wide range of services, including institutional, community, social, employment and housing services. Ideally, multidisciplinary community treatment teams provide these services.

Social skills training strives to improve social functioning by working with individuals to resolve problems with employment, leisure, relationships and activities of daily life.

Timely admission to hospital to control symptoms may prevent the development of more severe problems.

Rethinking Madness

In the midst of a successful career as a hang gliding instructor and competition pilot (winning a World Champion title and multiple National Champion titles), Paris Williams suddenly found himself plunged into a profound struggle with experiences that would have likely resulted in the diagnosis of a psychotic disorder.

Instead of entering the psychiatric system, and he embarked upon a journey of healing and self discovery. He has spent over a decade deeply exploring both Eastern and Western under-standings of mind and consciousness, studying intensive meditation from a number of different meditation masters around the world, earning a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, working in a number of different settings supporting people struggling with challenging and extreme experiences, and conducting a series of pioneering research studies at Saybrook University on recovery from schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders.

In his new book "Rethinking Madness", Dr. Paris Williams takes the reader step by step on a highly engaging journey of discovery, exploring the mainstream understanding of schizophrenia, while crafting a more hopeful vision of recovery.

Visit Dr. Paris Williams at www.rethinkingmadness.com

Treatment Adherence

When someone with schizophrenia stops taking medication or skips other treatments, it can be frustrating and difficult for loved ones. You may naturally feel powerless. However, you have more influence than you realize. Here are several ways you can help.

• Make your support contingent on adherence. It’s common for loved ones to support the person financially and provide them with a place to live.
• Help them find effective treatment. Get your loved one involved in therapy and working with an experienced psychiatrist.
• Set up reminders for medication. Use pill containers, checklists and signs to make remembering to take medication much easier.
• Try injectable medication. With an injection, the person does not have to face the decision every day about taking medication, and remind themselves every day that they have an illness.

Would a Support Group Help Recovery?

I'm not affiliated with any group or program. I am just trying to get the word out about methods that help people recover from schizophrenia. NAMI the National Alliance of Mental Illness is an altruistic organization that offers information and support to people suffering from schizophrenia in several ways. NAMI support groups are places where people who are facing the same challenges come together and share their experience, strength and hope with each other. This video shows real people telling about their experience with support groups and how it has effected their mental health.

Art Therapy - Don't Despair, Share.

Create. Express yourself. Explore your artistic side without judgement. You have a perspective that few people have. Share.

Schizophrenia Success Story

This is a really well done video by a young woman who is having real success with her treatment. It is from a loving and informative website from Canada  mindyourmind.ca