If you suspect that someone is hearing voices, it’s okay to mention the voices and if that person is amenable to continue the conversation, it’s okay to ask; ‘What are they telling you?’
Very often, the voices heard are speaking at the same time as the person is trying to have a conversation with you, so he might stop talking for a while to work out what you are saying due to the interference. The voices can be rather noisy at times. So, it’s a good idea to speak slowly and clearly and limit the number of questions you fire at him. Reduce the number of outside stimuli too, if possible and allow the individual to vent some of his frustrations.
It’s not a good idea to tell him that the voices cannot possibly be real. He is convinced that they are because he hears them quite clearly.
For anyone who wants to get an idea of how frustrating, disturbing and upsetting it is to try and engage in a conversation while these voices are chatting or talking loudly in the background, click on the link below. If I had seen this clip while my son was so ill, it would have helped me as well as my family a great deal.
