Voice hearers: A review about meaning and relationship with voices

Abstract

This study is a systematized review of literature and aimed to review the findings on the subject of voice hearers, emphasizing their relationship with their voices. The research was performed in two databases, PubMed and LILACS, with no temporal limit and with the following terms in English: "voice hearing" OR "auditory verbal hallucination". A total of 2,464 article titles were found and examined for suitability regarding our purpose. 126 articles were identified for full text analysis, from which 35 fulfilled the criteria for inclusion. It was observed that the meaning voice hearers attribute to the voices is tied to their life history, and they consider them threatening, intrusive, controlling, or gentle, friendly and positive. Therefore, the meaning attributed to the voices was determinant in the relationship that the voice hearer will establish with them, as well as the way in which they relate socially.