Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsDiagnosisCausesConsequencesTreatmentCopingFrequently Asked Questions

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Table of Contents

Symptoms

Diagnosis

Causes

Consequences

Treatment

Coping

Frequently Asked Questions

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A person might be experiencing thought broadcasting if they’ve wondered, “Can people hear my thoughts?” Thought broadcasting is usually a symptom of a psychotic disorder likeschizophreniaandbipolar disorder.

Symptoms of Thought Broadcasting

For example, imagine you are waiting in line for a coffee and a person cuts the line. You might think to yourself that this was impolite and perhaps call the person a rude word in your mind.

Thought broadcasting occurs in different ways for different people. Some people might hear their thoughts being spoken aloud when they are not actually saying them out loud.

Other people with this condition have also reported trying to communicate their thoughts or sending telepathic prompts to other people with their minds. When they get no response it might sometimes cause feelings of frustration, anger, and sadness.

Diagnosis of Thought Broadcasting

Thought broadcasting is usually indicative of an underlying psychotic condition. It may be difficult to diagnose as people who experience thought broadcasting often have a difficult time talking about it. They often fear that they might be ridiculed or mocked because of the condition.

As it is one of the symptoms of medical conditions like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, thought broadcasting might occur with other common symptoms of these conditions, such as:

Differences Between Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia

Causes of Thought Broadcasting

There are a few reasons a person might feel like other people hear their thoughts. Thought broadcasting is typically a symptom of a psychotic disorder like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.

Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a brain disorder that alters a person’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

Distorted Sense of Reality

People with schizophrenia have an altered perception of reality. A person with this condition will find it difficult to distinguish between what is real and what isn’t real.

Symptoms of schizophrenia could either be positive or negative:

Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is a condition that causes extreme changes in your mood. A person with this condition will experience a range of moods from manic to depressed.

Delusions can be part of mania or severe depression in bipolar disorder. A delusion is a belief in the reality of a thing despite evidence to the contrary. Thought broadcasting is classified as a delusion.

Delusions Occurring in Bipolar Disorder

Consequences of Thought Broadcasting

Thought broadcasting can be a debilitating symptom that affects people living with it in many ways. Some ripple effects people with this condition often experience in addition to symptoms of thought broadcasting include:

People who constantly wonder, “Can people hear my thoughts?” may feel uncomfortable and suspicious around other people. This can seriously limit their social interactions and create a great deal of anxiety.

Understanding Anxiety Disorders

Treatment for Thought Broadcasting

A combination of psychotherapy and medication has proven to be the most effective course of treatment for thought broadcasting.

Medication

Antipsychotic medications are the primary treatment for thought broadcasting. They may include some of the relatively newer second-generation atypical psychotics likeAblifyandClozaril, or older typical antipsychotics like Haldol. These agents are used to treat the underlying psychiatric conditions that cause thought broadcasting.

These medications can help to stop or reduce the frequency and severity of symptoms of thought broadcasting.

Psychotherapy

At its worst, thought broadcasting could be a debilitating condition that interferes with a person’s regular functioning. Psychotherapy aims to help a person living with thought broadcasting to understand their symptoms, become better able to reality test them, manage stress, and form healthy habits that can help them manage their symptoms.

Coping With Thought Broadcasting

Certain behaviors can potentially worsen thought broadcasting, including alcohol and substance use. Maintaining healthy habits and avoiding alcohol can help you manage the condition better. Thought broadcasting can be incredibly difficult to live with and cause other complications in addition to the condition responsible for the psychosis symptom.

People who are living with thought broadcasting are often reluctant to disclose what they are experiencing. If you live with a person who is showing symptoms of this condition, try to have an open conversation with them. Let them know you understand and that you are there for them and advise them to seek medical help.

Frequently Asked QuestionsIt is not possible for other people to hear your thoughts. If you feel that others can hear your thoughts, it is important to talk to your doctor or mental health professional, as this may be a symptom of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. It may be possible for people to infer your thoughts based on your expressions and actions, which may make it seem like they are able to hear what you are thinking.If you are experiencing a mental health condition, you might “hear” your own thoughts in your head as part of your inner monologue. While intrusive thoughts can be upsetting and disruptive, others cannot hear these thoughts.Intrusive thoughtscan be symptoms of a number of mental health conditions, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder,OCD, andPTSD. You should talk to your doctor to discuss your symptoms and learn more.Yourinner monologuerefers to the type of self-talk you think inside your mind. However, not all people experience this. Some estimates suggest that 30% to 50% of people frequently experience their own thoughts as an inner monologue,while other research suggests that this number may be as high as 75%.

It is not possible for other people to hear your thoughts. If you feel that others can hear your thoughts, it is important to talk to your doctor or mental health professional, as this may be a symptom of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. It may be possible for people to infer your thoughts based on your expressions and actions, which may make it seem like they are able to hear what you are thinking.

If you are experiencing a mental health condition, you might “hear” your own thoughts in your head as part of your inner monologue. While intrusive thoughts can be upsetting and disruptive, others cannot hear these thoughts.Intrusive thoughtscan be symptoms of a number of mental health conditions, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder,OCD, andPTSD. You should talk to your doctor to discuss your symptoms and learn more.

Yourinner monologuerefers to the type of self-talk you think inside your mind. However, not all people experience this. Some estimates suggest that 30% to 50% of people frequently experience their own thoughts as an inner monologue,while other research suggests that this number may be as high as 75%.

7 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Cedar Clinic.Symptoms of Psychosis.Sasaki JPD, Wada K, Tanno Y.Understanding egorrhea from cultural-clinical psychology.Front Psychol. 2013;4.Pawar AV, Spence SA.Defining thought broadcast. Semi-structured literature review.Br J Psychiatry. 2003;183:287-291. doi:10.1192/bjp.183.4.287Harvard Health Publishing.Bipolar disorder(Manic depressive illness or manic depression).Joseph SM, Siddiqui W.Delusional disorder.In: StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing;CBC News.How do people without an inner monologue think?Hurlburt RT, Heavey CL, Kelsey JM.Toward a phenomenology of inner speaking.Conscious Cogn. 2013;22(4):1477-1494. doi:10.1016/j.concog.2013.10.003Additional ReadingGreyson B.Telepathy in mental illness: deluge or delusion?J Nerv Ment Dis. 1977;165(3):184-200.

7 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Cedar Clinic.Symptoms of Psychosis.Sasaki JPD, Wada K, Tanno Y.Understanding egorrhea from cultural-clinical psychology.Front Psychol. 2013;4.Pawar AV, Spence SA.Defining thought broadcast. Semi-structured literature review.Br J Psychiatry. 2003;183:287-291. doi:10.1192/bjp.183.4.287Harvard Health Publishing.Bipolar disorder(Manic depressive illness or manic depression).Joseph SM, Siddiqui W.Delusional disorder.In: StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing;CBC News.How do people without an inner monologue think?Hurlburt RT, Heavey CL, Kelsey JM.Toward a phenomenology of inner speaking.Conscious Cogn. 2013;22(4):1477-1494. doi:10.1016/j.concog.2013.10.003Additional ReadingGreyson B.Telepathy in mental illness: deluge or delusion?J Nerv Ment Dis. 1977;165(3):184-200.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Cedar Clinic.Symptoms of Psychosis.Sasaki JPD, Wada K, Tanno Y.Understanding egorrhea from cultural-clinical psychology.Front Psychol. 2013;4.Pawar AV, Spence SA.Defining thought broadcast. Semi-structured literature review.Br J Psychiatry. 2003;183:287-291. doi:10.1192/bjp.183.4.287Harvard Health Publishing.Bipolar disorder(Manic depressive illness or manic depression).Joseph SM, Siddiqui W.Delusional disorder.In: StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing;CBC News.How do people without an inner monologue think?Hurlburt RT, Heavey CL, Kelsey JM.Toward a phenomenology of inner speaking.Conscious Cogn. 2013;22(4):1477-1494. doi:10.1016/j.concog.2013.10.003

Cedar Clinic.Symptoms of Psychosis.

Sasaki JPD, Wada K, Tanno Y.Understanding egorrhea from cultural-clinical psychology.Front Psychol. 2013;4.

Pawar AV, Spence SA.Defining thought broadcast. Semi-structured literature review.Br J Psychiatry. 2003;183:287-291. doi:10.1192/bjp.183.4.287

Harvard Health Publishing.Bipolar disorder(Manic depressive illness or manic depression).

Joseph SM, Siddiqui W.Delusional disorder.In: StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing;

CBC News.How do people without an inner monologue think?

Hurlburt RT, Heavey CL, Kelsey JM.Toward a phenomenology of inner speaking.Conscious Cogn. 2013;22(4):1477-1494. doi:10.1016/j.concog.2013.10.003

Greyson B.Telepathy in mental illness: deluge or delusion?J Nerv Ment Dis. 1977;165(3):184-200.

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