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Second order hallucinations are auditory hallucinations in which a voice appears to address the patient in the second person. For example the voice may be talking directly to the patient - "You are going to die" - or the voice may be telling the patient to do some action - "kill him". These types of auditory hallucinations are not diagnostic in the same way as third person auditory hallucinations, but the content of the hallucination, and the patient's reaction to it, may help in diagnosis.
In a depressive psychosis the comments from the auditory hallucination may be derisory ("you are useless"), and the patient may accept them as being justified. A schizophrenic may experience second person hallucinations but may resent the comments that the voice makes. These interpretations of the content of the hallucination and the patient's reaction are only indicators to the possible psychiatric diagnosis.
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