RESUMEN
Nowadays the phenomenon of hearing voices represents a very fertile and discussed field of research. In psychological and psychiatric fields, the phenomenon has been described as a normal phenomenon, but also as a prodromal stage and as a symptom of psychosis. Through a qualitative research methodology, the aim was to explore how family medicine physicians configure the phenomenon and its clinical and interactive implications. The present research involved 35 family medicine physicians as figures of primary importance in the approach toward people who start to hear voices. Semi-structured interviews have been used and they have been analyzed by the method of discourse analysis. The results show a remarkable difficulty in understanding the phenomenon in all its complexity and the tendency to consider it a symptom or a prodromal stage of psychopathology. Increasing the knowledge of doctors on the subject is necessary so that their evaluation and choice of intervention match the needs of each patient. We also discuss the importance of promoting the knowledge of the potential meanings taken on by the voices in the context of the personal and family background of the individual hearer, and of collaboration with other relevant professionals and services.
RESUMEN
The phenomenon of hearing voices is currently a much-discussed topic, both in the field of research and in the field of care services. The majority of people who report "hearing voices" do not subsequently receive services or receive a diagnosis of psychopathology. This topic raises questions for professionals in the health field about the lack of tools that can help illuminate the phenomenon. The purposes of this work are (a) to highlight the psychological studies that approach the phenomenon in a non-psychopathological way and (b) to determine which concepts could aid the comprehension of the phenomenon. The method consists of a systematic review of the literature that characterizes the phenomenon of hearing voices from a non-pathological perspective. The literature offers different theoretical approaches to interpret the phenomenon in a way that is not necessarily pathological and presents new tools for examining the phenomenon. For example, a few studies state that it is possible to coexist with voices, while others indicate that it is necessary to know how to manage voices. We highlighted and discussed several concepts that can support doctors, psychiatrists and practitioners in understanding "hearer" patients, particularly attention to the context of belonging, attention to language, and the role of the sense-making process.
