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AN INTRODUCTION TO MENTAL HEALTH - The Nossal Institute for ...

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Activity 15 : Responding to a person who is hearing voices,<br />

suspicious of others, or expressing unusual beliefs<br />

Time : 1 hour<br />

Purpose : To teach participants how to respond to and help someone who is hearing<br />

voices, suspicious of others, or expressing unusual beliefs.<br />

Materials : Case study A (found in Appendix E) and Role plays 3 and 4 (found in<br />

Appendix F). This exercise requires two facilitators to per<strong>for</strong>m role plays<br />

that are watched by the participants. Black/white board and marker pens.<br />

Directions : Step 1<br />

Ask the group what they remember about Severe Mental Disorders.<br />

• What are some of the symptoms associated with Severe Mental<br />

Disorders such as schizophrenia?<br />

Give a presentation based on the ‘In<strong>for</strong>mation <strong>for</strong> Presentation’ box below.<br />

INFORMATION FOR PRESENTATION<br />

<strong>The</strong> person who is hearing voices, suspicious of others or expressing<br />

unusual beliefs<br />

Hearing voices that are not really there is often a symptom of a Severe Mental Disorder:<br />

• <strong>The</strong>se voices are often saying unpleasant things about the person.<br />

• <strong>The</strong> person hearing voices may be quite frightened because the voices are very real to<br />

him/her.<br />

• People who hear voices can appear to be talking to themselves, but they are actually<br />

answering the voices.<br />

• Occasionally the voices may instruct the person to inflict self harm or to harm others<br />

• <strong>The</strong> person hearing voices may also be very suspicious of others and have unusual beliefs<br />

e.g. believing that people are spying on them.<br />

2<br />

• <strong>The</strong> person who is hearing voices may not be taking good care of themselves.<br />

Excessive suspiciousness and unusual beliefs are symptoms of a Severe Mental Disorder:<br />

• Unusual beliefs that are obviously false are called delusions.<br />

• <strong>The</strong>se false beliefs cannot be altered through reason.<br />

• <strong>The</strong> false belief is very real to the person who is experiencing it.<br />

• Examples include a person thinking:<br />

• others are talking about them, trying to hurt them, plotting to harm them or<br />

interfering with their thoughts<br />

<strong>AN</strong> <strong>INTRODUCTION</strong> <strong>TO</strong> <strong>MENTAL</strong> <strong>HEALTH</strong> 67

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