This Is What Schizophrenia Can Actually Sound Like

Anderson Cooper tries getting through a typical day using a schizophrenia simulator — and can't do it.

Last month Anderson Cooper donned headphones for a schizophrenia simulator to feel what it's like to live with the disorder.

CNN / Via youtube.com

People with schizophrenia, a brain disorder that affects roughly one percent of the population, may hear voices other people don't hear.

The recorded voices interrupt his ability to complete a series of tests.

CNN / Via youtube.com

The whispers and yells include aggressive phrases like, “You suck, and they know it!” or comforting words like, “Don’t worry.”

Cooper even finds having a normal everyday interaction incredibly difficult.

CNN / Via youtube.com

And he feels the urge to talk back to the voices, especially when they're negative and discourage him. "It makes you feel completely isolated from everyone else around you," he says of the "eye-opening" experience.

Watch the full Anderson Cooper 360° segment below.

youtube.com

To get an idea of what auditory hallucinations can sound like, you can listen to this audio sample.

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Learn more about schizophrenia through the National Institute of Mental Health.