Auditory hallucination is a positive symptom of schizophrenia and has significant impacts on the lives of individuals. People with
1. Introduction
Schizophrenia is a major mental illness in contemporary
society which affects about 1% of the world population [1].
People in an acute episode of schizophrenia are characterized
by the positive symptom of auditory hallucinations or voice
hearing. The voices, particularly those with negative and
critical connotations, would directly or indirectly affect their
emotional, economic, occupational, and social functioning.
In Hong Kong, while psychiatric medication is the primary
treatment, there are no specialized services for Chinese
patients with the problem of hearing voices. With the influence
of traditional Chinese cultural beliefs, they may worship
gods, drink “amulet tea,” or adopt methods associated
with folk religions or customary lay practices in trying to
copepassively or actively with the voices. As there has been
no previous study on the hearing of voices by Chinese
people with schizophrenia, this paper examines their coping
strategies with an emphasis on how they adopt lay practices
within the sociocultural context of Hong Kong.