One surprising psychosis treatment that works: Learning to live with the voices

Rising psychosis and schizophrenia rates

• Commenters highlight data that schizophrenia-related ER visits in young/middle-aged men have risen notably since 2018, and see this as alarming.
• Possible contributors mentioned: COVID infection and long COVID, social isolation, stress from the pandemic, increased cannabis use and other drugs, and greater willingness to seek treatment.
• Some tie psychosis onset to extreme stress events (e.g., sudden bereavement during COVID). Others note that many things are reported as “on the rise,” which can itself fuel anxiety and paranoia.

COVID, biology, and environmental factors

• Several people with schizophrenia/bipolar report psychosis or severe mood issues triggered or worsened by COVID infection.
• Links are posted about COVID-related brain damage and mast cell activation.
• EMF/mmWave/5G are raised as a possible factor by some; others respond that existing EMF research shows little effect, though they concede newer bands are understudied. Debate remains unresolved.
• Heat, sun, and humidity are reported as triggers for mood episodes, with a study link shared.

Living with voices and delusions

• Many resonate with the idea of accepting voices rather than fighting them, connecting it to inner-dialogue practices, contemplative traditions, and film portrayals.
• Multiple commenters distinguish between hallucinated “voices” and delusions/disordered thinking, the latter often being harder to manage.
• Some with psychosis describe “zero-trust” toward their own perceptions and outsourcing reality-checking to trusted others.
• Others frame voices/delusions as altered salience or extreme creativity rather than pure “defect,” while acknowledging severe suffering and impairment.

Therapies and coping strategies

• Discussion of “avatar therapy” (digitally simulating voices and confronting them) and other structured approaches like CBT, “internal family systems,” and Buddhist/Vajrayana-inspired methods.
• Many emphasize that such approaches often work only outside of deep acute psychosis; during severe episodes, reasoning-based therapy feels impossible.
• Acceptance, detachment, and not acting on intrusive thoughts are common themes, even for non-psychotic intrusive thoughts.

Medication vs alternative / metabolic treatments

• Strong tension between the need for antipsychotics and their serious side effects (emotional blunting, anhedonia, metabolic problems).
• Some report good outcomes using meds plus therapy and self-monitoring; others describe tapering or avoiding antipsychotics with strict diets (e.g., ketogenic, high omega‑3) and see mental illness as metabolic.
• CBD and an antipsychotic (amisulpride) are cited in a trial as both improving cognition in acute schizophrenia.
• A few warn that antipsychotic withdrawal itself can cause psychotic symptoms, complicating diagnosis and fueling mistrust.

Substances, withdrawal, and psychosis

• Heavy or potent cannabis, psychedelics, and “microdosing” are suspected contributors to psychosis by some; others argue they’re more often coping mechanisms for preexisting issues.
• Alcohol withdrawal and other states are reported to cause musical or voice-like hallucinations that become manageable once recognized as internal.

Sanity, culture, and social response

• Several comments question where the line between “crazy” and “normal” lies, noting that mild paranoia, odd beliefs, and inner voices are common.
• Social labeling, unpredictability, and perceived dangerousness are seen as major drivers of who gets treated as “insane.”
• Some point out cultural differences: in some societies, hearing voices may be integrated more positively, whereas others quickly pathologize.