Hearing voices is an auditory hallucination that may or may not be associated with a mental health problem. It is the most common type of hallucination in people with psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia. However, a large number of otherwise healthy individuals have also reported hearing voices.
Until recently voices were regarded as a symptom of a mental illness and not talked about because of fear of stigma. Hearing voices are still considered by psychiatry as an auditory hallucination and as a symptom of conditions such as schizophrenic disorders, manic depression and psychosis.
Traumatic life experiences are considered to be among the most significant triggers of auditory hallucinations, particularly among children.