Schitzophrenia, context of voices

[chiatea]

My first question is, if a person hears voices do they automatically fit into the category of schizophrenic? Can mania cause such symptoms? And, if a person is schizophrenic or hears voices, and these voices cut them down, does this mean that the person really feels this way about themselves? Like, if the voices say "Your a wimp." Does that mean that the person had doubts about their maturity or toughness?

Thanks.

[psychologytools]

Auditory hallucinations don't necessarily mean schizophrenia. Voices, as opposed to just sounds, it much more strongly correlated with schizophrenia. Observant, critical voices are almost certainly schizophrenia or some kind of serious, physical brain problem.

The context of the voices doesn't really reflect the schizophrenic's state of mind, but certain categories of auditory hallucination are seen almost exclusively in schizophrenics. Voices critical of the person or their activities is one of those categories.

[docjp]

As long as one remains within ones head, that is limits oneself to thinking about what is taking place within oneself, ones explanation will always be limited to some physical level answer.
And there is nothing of consequence taking place at a physical level.... relative to ones Psychology.
Voices are probably dissociation by ones MIND.  Seeking to protect you from your own negative thoughts... and as explained by you, I would say you have a tenuous sense of being OK....
We take on a great many misperceptions at the time of our birth.  Generally speaking, ones MIND tends to use these as real...[in any case these are part of ones Fate Karma for this life] and will remain until they are no longer needed.  This can be expedited by competent psychotherapy, but trying to find a competent psychotherapist is very difficult.
Short of this, focus on some Reality and let this become your measure of yourself.  You are a Soul, and that means who you are, at your Core is a Soul, and your Soul is permanent, Perfect, and Absolute.  Your are not your MIND, which is tasked with facilitating your experience of your many lifetimes.  Any negative thoughts you have are just that... thoughts.  And think of these as being trash talk.  Once such trash talk begins, focus on your Reality.  Truth will always trump the chatter of ones MIND.
http://about-psychology.com/CDK.html
Peace

[Patsy Hull]

Voices are symptoms of schizophrenia.
I myself hear voices when I think of my mother. She's so violent that the brain splits and voices come out.
Unfortunately, the theory of the 'Schizophrenic mother' isn't true, otherwise I myself would have certainly said: "That's it! My mother's the reason for my sickness!" (Also political 'mothers' as chancellor of state Angela Merkel appears as a clon and shouts and tortures me until I hear voices, but 'No!', people say, poor mother wioll commit suicide, that's why we can't solve this sickness.

[docjp]

You are caught in a cycle of intellectualism.  the "cause" of schizophrenia is the natural duality of Life.  How it manifests itself in each person is somewhat unique to the Karmic needs of each person.
But... contrary of what one may think otherwise,  everything is taking place within oneself.  That ones MIND is causing one to imagine that one is "hearing" voices is ones own thoughts being dissociated from oneself by delusional thinking of ones own MIND.
The habit of thinking is a loop that must be broken by taking responsibility for what one is experiencing.  If this means one must accept that one is crazy, so be it.  Who is not to some degree crazy?  The point is....all of what one is experiencing is taking place within oneself.  Cease laying off onto things or people other than oneself.

Peace

[chiatea]

What do you mean by your last sentence docjp? Cease laying off of .... What do you mean by that?

Dissociation by ones mind? Hmm... possible interesting thought.

[docjp]

What I meant is to cease blaming things other than oneself for what one is experiencing within oneself.  Whether or not we want to accept responsibility for what we are experiencing, what we experience in terms of reaction, or thoughts or actions prompted by ones thoughts are all coming from oneself.  If one thinks of oneself as being a closed ball, and everything that happens is within that ball, then one is beginning to own ones process.

This is in contrast to Skinner and the oxymoron "behavioral psychology", where one is told to blame all ones actions on that which is outside of oneself..... because Skinner didn't think that there was anything within a person that could be responsible for ones actions.

Peace