Hearing voices can be positive Tasmania News - The Mercury - The Voice of Tasmania

Hearing voices can be positive Tasmania News - The Mercury - The Voice of Tasmania:

HELEN KEMPTON

September 01, 2009

A NETWORK is being set up to support the estimated 20,000 Tasmanians who experience auditory hallucinations.

Hearing Voices Network Australia soon will be operating in Tasmania under the auspices of Richmond Fellowship Tasmania.

Hearing voices was not always a symptom of mental illness, Richmond Fellowship Tasmania chief executive Patrick Carlisle said.

'In many cases, voices can be positive. There have been many famous high achievers who have contributed very significantly to society who have identified themselves as a voice hearer, including Leonardo da Vinci, Winston Churchill, Gandhi and (actor) Anthony Hopkins,' he said.

Research has found that about 4 per cent of the population hears voices but only 0.5 per cent of those are eventually diagnosed with schizophrenia."

---

Working across the world to spread positive and hopeful messages about the experience of hearing voices