Studying and Hearing Voices.
 

The voices that I hear are worse now than last academic year (except when I was in hospital, they were worse than ever before), to a certain extent.

I was wondering if anyone else is going through education at the same time as battling with hallucinations? And if so, can we share advice about how to cope with/attenuate (because it is very hard, if not impossible, to completely block them out) the hallucinations while studying?

I hear a male voice and a female voice, neither of which I recognise, and they sometimes talk constantly, and sometimes they just interject with sentences here and there. Sometimes they aren't there at all and that is fantastic.

However they interfere with my studying (now more than they did during last year's exams) and my thinking processes are also apparently affected (I feel like people can read my mind, and can also insert thoughts into my head, as well as what my Dad calls "illogical thinking"). I also see Spies that aren't supposed to be there.

I start lectures at University next week on Monday and I would like to be able to study properly. Because right now I am getting barely anything done.

Advice?

Do you have an academic advisor who you could contact?

I have a study skills tutor who I think might have training in mental health. I will email him.

When I was at Uni a few years ago there was a special student advisor there who specialised in mental health. She suggested i apply for Disabled Student Allowance which you may be able to get if your in the UK. It can help to pay for any additional costs which you may incure due to your disability or illness. If concentration is difficult you could get a note taker or dictaphone to record lectures. If lecturers are aware that you have problems concentrating they can also give you extentions on deadlines aswell. I hope this helps x.

I do not hear voices but I am in a depressive phase and cant seem to read, write, or focus in class. I see someone at the disability office. She keeps me on track just by asking what I'm doing in each class. She also gives me advice on how to talk to professors if I need to. I can only imagine what it must be like for you to do your work. My heart goes out to you. Check out disability services. They can be as much or as little involved as you want them to be.

I have Disabled Students Allowance, but a lot of it is surrounding my autism. They did provide me a dictaphone (and last year I used it) but I think they're organising me a note-taker for this year.

Deadline extensions are good - I think I might have used a couple last year.

The main problem I have is studying at home in my bedroom. And I also cannot study at all in libraries. Even at home, I cannot focus due to the voices etc, libraries are worse as they make my paranoia bad.

Thanks. I'm sorry to hear you struggle too. It is hard.

I think I will go to disability services, or I could ask my support worker (I get a full-time support worker from the National Autistic Society) if she could help me out with study technique, focus etc.

Are there any small private rooms at university you could have access to? Perhaps a change in environment could be helpful, as it seems to get worse in your bedroom or libraries. When I was struggling with MH issues (albeit not hallucinations), student services let me 'borrow' a spare office if I couldn't cope in the main library, and that was really helpful.

That's a good idea. I'll ask the disability services if my support worker and I can find a private room to retreat to, as that would not only help with the psychotic symptoms, but also give me a place to retreat from the excessive sensory stimuli I get at University.

I was about to make a very similar post as I am in the same position.

I know there are people who will 'help' me but I am begining to not trust anyone because they are researchers. So my anxiety is bad about uni and lectures.

The worst part for me is going into quiet lectures and hearing voices and people sending thoughts into my head to control me. When the voices say scary **** I wonder who it is and if the other students can hear it because I have demons that follow me around and other must think wtf. I have this chip in my head or controller or something but no doctors will remove it whichg upsets me greatly.

I wish I could give you some techniques to cope with this but ... I dont cope myself with it - I failed last year, since i was in intensive care 3 times and had 2 admissions to the psych hospital.

Just to let you know, your not alone, sorry for no advice x

I'm sorry to hear you struggle Ami.

I was sectioned under s136 and then s2 four times in one and a half years of uni, so I an understand how hard it is. I was in intensive care too.

I understand also how it is to have these voices and things happening, I hope things will improve for you soon.

Have you ever had an MRI to see if there is a chip in your head? I had a comprehensive blood test once which showed me that my blood is not poisoned.

I find it very hard too. I tend to try and put on some music, do things in smaller chunks, take breaks. Luckily I dont have a lot of reading on my course as its a photography degree so a lot is practical but when I do have t compose essays its extremely difficult.

Im not sure what say, I have a spirit who talks to me constantly. And strangely enough some similar things as both Olympia and Ami. Demons stay with me a lot of the time, I become really paranoid or spies and thought reading and insertion of them into my brain. Especially in large groups I become paranoid of other people and their actions towards me and my actions towards them (I think of really vivid ways to kill people which is mainly uncontrollable). I can't take buses but luckily DSA pay for taxis for me there and back everyday.

Sorry I cant help, but I know how you feel.

I'm sorry to hear you find it so hard. Do you get any support directly from the university for your problems?

I get taxis paid by DSA too, although sometimes I take the train home, but only at particular times (12:00-14:00) as during those times the trains are pretty much empty and I get off at an unmanned, usually empty station. I only get the train when I don't know what time I'll finish university. But I can definitely not travel at any other time on the train. I tried to go to university by train in the morning once and I nearly freaked out on the train. I managed to get to university but my whole day was ruined after that due to residual anxiety.

My ability to study varies though. Sometimes I can open a textbook about something I'm totally obsessed about (right now my obsessive interests lie in psychopharmacology and clinical medicine) and I can immerse myself in it. But more often with university work (which is going to be general pharmacology and biochemistry this year), I struggle to keep focus for more than 30 minutes because of the voices/intrusive thoughts. I am trying to revise tonight but the voices have been telling me that the Spies are watching me from the house opposite mine. And I'm finding it hard to keep my thoughts controlled on studying. I am listening to the Prodigy right now to help, but what my tutor said to me in an email yesterday (I made a thread about this in General Support) is making everything in my head worse.

I'm so worried I won't be able to cope this year. My brain is so scattered.

My previous reply was very short so apologies for that.

I struggle too at uni. You're not alone.

When you are studying at home and the voices get really bad, could you take a break from your studying and go for a walk? do your voices get worse when you are stressed?

Hope you're okay x

Hi. Thanks both of you.

I'm on the way to university in my taxi right now. I will ask my support worker about the quiet room.

Yes, good idea - I need to learn how to take breaks. I think going for a walk is a good idea, but my paranoia may limit it. I've been practising my kickboxing and doing weightlifting and press-ups at home - I find those are really good (with The Prodigy semi-blasting on my speakers) for when the voices are bad and I'm stressed.

Thanks for the ongoing support.

I have good support from uni, my tutors are amazing and I can go and see student support if I ever feel the need. However im in 2nd year now and havent been yet! I guess thats a good thing though. =)

Even though a lot of us have these problems I think its great were actually progressing with uni, we are trying so hard and hopefully will all pass (Which I'm sure you will!)

Best of luck with uni today and hope that you can get support put in place soon.

Well done for doing so well. I'm glad that you have good support.

Did you receive any computer software from DSA? I have a screen reader which reads out text to me; I quite often cannot focus on paragraphs of text and the screen reader helps me focus (and the voice of the reader is quite good). It is better than reading out loud, which I often have to resort to when I study from textbooks. I find it hard to focus because of the voices and the thoughts that are inserted into my head without my permission.

I've also got a student taking notes for me in lectures, which is great because I cannot process speech and write at the same time.

I think we are progressing well, and I am proud of you for doing well. I'm hoping that year 2 will be free of hospital admissions; I haven't been in hospital for 10 months now :D

Thanks. Uni was ok. My support worker said she will try her hardest to organise that I have support every day of my uni and that I don't need to go into things alone.

10 months thats really great, Ive been out 3 years! My longest ever. After an admission meant my diploma took 3 years instead of 2 iv been tryign so hard.

I also have really bad problems reading big chunks of text (I cant manage books for example) that text reader sounds good. I have a Macbook with all the photography software so i can work from home if I need to.

Thanks. Three years is amazing, well done! I'm doing part time so my degree will take five years :/

You can download a text reader free online but the voice on it is crap. Perhaps you could ask the University if there is any way you could request funding for a text reader on your laptop?

Working from home if needed is a good idea.

I've been given a big screen that plugs into my laptop as I have a neurological problem with my visual processing. And a load of software to aid studying.

I think DSA is great. I wouldn't be in Uni without it.

Do you have friends at Uni? I'd like to know how to make friends at Uni as I don't even know anyone's name and I'm already in the second year. I don't understand how to make friends in Uni, it seems hard.