Four ways nurses can support people who hear voices

A mental health nurse and lecturer suggests ways to approach people’s distress related to hearing voices and improve their treatment and care experience

Many mental health nurses (MHNs) and practitioners lack the knowledge and confidence to support people who hear voices. They may struggle to know how to help a person who is distressed by their voice hearing in a way that is meaningful and effective.

Levels of distress are usually interpreted by observing the person’s behaviour and/or verbal expressions. For example, MHNs may observe a patient pacing around or talking out loud to no one in particular or becoming distracted and isolating themselves from others.

This distress is often interpreted as being anxiety-induced – most likely caused by what the voices might be saying