Taken from the Oprah Winfrey website, October 6th 2009, click on title for full story - you  can send your comments too. We are writing open letter to Oprah about the very troubling approach the docotrs are taking in "treating" Jani.

The 7-Year-Old Schizophrenic

A child's imagination has no bounds. Some boys and girls pretend to be astronauts and mermaids. Others run alongside imaginary friends. But, for a few children around the world, the mind conjures hallucinations that never go away. At times, these make-believe visions even lead to violent behavior.

Michael and Susan Schofield know all too well how mental illness can affect a child's life. Their 7-year-old daughter, Jani, has been diagnosed with one of the most severe cases of childhood schizophrenia Jani's doctors say they've ever seen.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, schizophrenia is a chronic, disabling brain disorder that may cause a person to hear voices and misinterpret reality. In some cases, schizophrenic patients believe people are plotting to harm them, which causes extreme agitation or depression.

Jani may be younger than most people with schizophrenia, but she battles the same demons. In her case, hallucinations take the form of imaginary children and animals. There's a little girl named 24 Hours, a rat named Wednesday, and a cat named 400 who tells her to do bad things.

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

How can I make the voice in my head stop?

Very unhelpful advice given to voice hearer, taken from CNN 6th October 2009, for a more useful approach go to www.intervoiceonline.org

Expert Q&A

Q. I am a 50-year-old male and have been experiencing a voice talking to me. I lost most of my central vision about 11 years ago from a virus and am legally blind. I was diagnosed with depression two years ago by my doctor and he put me on 20 mg of paroxetine a day. I have always been an antisocial person but even more so after losing most of my vision. For the last several months there has been a voice talking to me. It just carries on normal conversations and warns me of various things, remarks about the news, people, daily activities (don't eat that, eat this instead), stay away from this or that person because they are out to harm you, your neighbors are watching you, etc. What is happening to me? Can you give me some suggestions on how to make the voice stop? I would greatly appreciate any suggestions you can give me. Thank You

A. ... Whatever else you do, keep telling yourself that the voice comes from a malfunction in your brain and under no circumstances pay any heed to what the voice says.

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