Hearing Voices: Just came across this TED video and though it interesting for discussion.

[Skidmore]

Read the article attached to the video at the site. It makes sense. I am the daughter of a man who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia back in the day when thorazine was first introduced. My siblings and I endured the acting out demanded by his voices. All of my adult life I have sought to understand this illness of the mind which contributed to so much trauma and turmoil in my childhood. We know so much and yet so little of the mechanisms and chemistry of the brain. The idea that the "governor" of your thought processes can fritz out in such a spectacular fashion and destroy your mind in very consequential way makes such utter sense. This woman's articulation of her own experience and her proposal for a treatment process that allows the individual to ally with the "fragmented" bits of self represented by voices is interesting to me. Medication alone does not resolve all of the problems expereinced by those with this illness.

http://www.collective-evolution.com/2014/01/11/a-schizophrenic-women-reveals-wisdom-we-all-need-to-hear/

This is the organization she refers to toward the end of her speech.

http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/help-information/mental-health-a-z/H/hearing-voices/

I'm still reading but I was interested in the thoughts of others.

[kelliekat44]

1. Very interesting. Thanks for posting.

I have had this experience twice in my life. Each time the event spoken about happened within 24 hours.

I cannot distinguish between an actual voice (although at the time I swore it was) or whether it was my own thinking that was so poignant that it appeared to me to be a voice. I recognized the voice as my deceased father's voice.

I was 22 when it first happened and 36 the second time. Hasn't happen since.

Book marking for further study.

[chowder66]

2. Hypoglycemia or Low Blood Sugar can produce

auditory hallucinations.

I had been hearing voices from time to time in my teens and I was too embarrassed to tell anyone.
I finally had enough and spoke to my doctor about it and he scheduled a glucose intolerance test and found that I was hypoglycemic.

Sure enough with a couple of dietary changes they ceased.

[kelliekat44]

4. Yes, yes. I am very familiar with this as my spouse suffered from low blood sugar for years until

he finally went over into full blown diabetes. It seemed that low blood sugar was his precursor to diabetes and his low blood sugar was the signal that his pancreas was putting out too much insulin until it zapped out and could not produce enough insulin. He had many hallucinations and paranoia episodes.

I must add: everything he heard from the voices actually happened within minutes of what he heard. I can't explain it but it happened. It also happened for a friend of his who was dying from brain cancer. He would describe an event ( not anything spectacular but ordinary) and it would happen within an hour. Example: he pronounced a special delivery mail item and asked that my spouse stay to receive it when it arrived. The package was delivered with the hour but it was a package that had not been ordered by the friend's spouse and anyone else in the household. It belonged to the next door neighbor.

As for my spouse he would say something was going to happen and it actually did within minutes...like a visit or phone call from someone unexpected.

[chowder66]

5. Wow!

You are now making me re-evaluate a couple of pre cog experiences I could never explain. I'm not into that stuff but I just couldn't put my finger on it. Not that it still really explains it but maybe there is some odd sensory issue going on.

I take it that your spouse's issues were resolved after treatment?

I was glad I found the courage to mention it because I didn't feel like I was mentally unwell with the exception of this one-off weirdness.
The doctor immediately thought is was a blood sugar problem and was right. What a relief that was.

[kelliekat44]

6. There was a book called "Low Blood Sugar and You" Carlton Fredrickson. (around 1979)

It may be out of print now but if you can find a copy get it. I bought 5 and gave them all away to people I thought needed to know the information. None of the books was ever returned. Had I a copy i would send it to you. It was a life saver for us and many in the family.

Lots of documented info on cases including the one about the person who was the subject character in the "Three Faces of Eve" and a case study on a famous baseball pitcher who was committed to a mental institution until a really good doctor discovered his blood sugar issues...his story was very compelling.

[JaneyVee]

3. You should also check this out:

It was made by a pharma company to simulate a schizophrenic who has been off of their meds. The first 45 seconds is patient ON meds, then it shows patients symptoms off meds, including voices and visual hallucinations. MAY BE DISTURBING: