Question:
Hi, I’m 15.
I don’t know how to put this into words but here it goes. I hear voices that tell me I’m stupid and should not talk because I’ll sound dumb. When I get sad or angry they tell me to hurt myself or kill people. I can’t stand to be around people who talk. My mind jumps everywhere and I can’t sit still or concentrate on something for one minute. I get super mad at people over little things. I’m very shy.
AdMy parents made me go see a counselor because of my anger outburst. Should I tell her I hear things that tell me to hurt others?
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Answer:
There is no doubt that you should tell you counselor about hearing voices that tell you to hurt yourself or others. These are dangerous symptoms and you and other people need to be safe.
What you are experiencing are what we call psychotic symptoms and are indicative of a serious mental illness. We do not like to use the word “crazy” because it’s meaningless but harmful to yourself. You seem to have an illness, just like other illnesses but this one is in your brain. You have some type of chemical imbalance in your brain that affects the way the nerve cells communicate with one another. That is what causes you to hear these voices.
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When you speak to your counselor I really want to encourage you to ask her to refer you to a psychiatrist. A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who can help diagnose what illness you might have and can prescribe the types of medication that will help lower and even take the voices away. It will also help you feel less angry. You anger is part of this.
A psychiatrist will help you find out if you really have this type of mental illness. You should not go by my opinion. You begin with your counselor, ask for more help than she can give and find out what is really going on.
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Good luck
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