In a piece mentioning that alleged Washington Navy Yard shooter Aaron Alexis was reporting auditory hallucinations, NBC News (9/18, Aleccia) reports on its website that “such hallucinations are the hallmark of psychiatric disorders; about 75 percent of those diagnosed with schizophrenia experience voices.” However, “many people with no disorder also report hearing voices – and they’re often neutral, even innocuous, said” Jeffrey Lieberman, MD, president of the American Psychiatric Association. Dr. Lieberman also went on to say that as further details come out about Alexis, “he was concerned that the shooting renews worries for people with mental illness and once again raises questions about how society treats disorders.”
Related Links:
— “Not a diagnosis: Voices in head more common than thought, “JoNel Aleccia, NBC News, September 17, 2013.