World Hearing voices Day challenges stigma 1
An organisation dedicated to supporting people who hear voices was today staging an international awareness day to help combat the secrecy and stigma surrounding the issue.
The Intervoice charity, the International Network for training, education and research into Hearing Voices, is holding the World Hearing Voices Day today to address whether hearing voices should be considered an illness or as part of the diversity of human experience.
Charity chiefs decided to stage the event to help people who keep the fact they hear voices to themselves over fears they will be branded “crazy”.
The day aims to celebrate the hearing of voices as part of the diversity of human experience and increase awareness of the fact you can hear voices and be healthy.
Staff also hope to challenge negative attitudes towards people who hear voices or the incorrect assumption that this is in itself a sign of an illness and raise awareness of the issues facing the estimated 4% of women, men and children who hear voices across the world.
The concept of the awareness day was dreamt up by Louise Pembroke, a voice hearer and psychiatric survivor from England, who approached Intervoice and asked them to organise the event.
As a result the charity and a dedicated network of supporters are today staging an array of events activities that are being held in 14 countries across the world – from Australia to Finland.
Jacqui Dillon, chair of the English Hearing Voices Network, which is the English arm of Intervoice, said: “I have been a voice hearer since I was a small child as a consequence of the serious abuse I experienced throughout my childhood.
“My own experiences within mental health services were so damaging and negative that I am now passionate about improving services so that they will be helpful to people in mental distress rather than hindering them.
“When I joined the network I saw a powerful means of enabling voice hearers to reclaim their experiences and the Hearing Voices Network has enabled me to make changes in my world and to become part of a collective voice for change.
“For someone who was told that she would never recover, life could not be better.”
In launching the World Hearing Voices Day, the president of Intervoice Professor Marius Romme, said: “Because of the fears and misunderstandings in society and within psychiatry about hearing voices, they are generally regarded as a symptom of an illness, something that is negative to be got rid of, and consequently the content and meaning of the voice experience is rarely discussed.
“In contrast, our work and research has shown more than 70% of people who hear voices can point to a traumatic life event that triggered their voices; that talking about voices and what they mean is a very effective way to reduce anxiety and isolation; and that even when the voices are overwhelming and seemingly destructive they often have an important message for the hearer.
“With the support of the worldwide hearing voices network, voice hearers, some of whom have spent long periods of time in psychiatric care have reclaimed their lives and are now able to say they hear voices and accept them as part of themselves.
“Our journey to better understand the voice hearing experience has now been going on for almost twenty years and we thought this would be a good time to celebrate our achievements and to make our work better known across the world.”