Desperate woman’s boyfriend hears voices from his shoes, phones, and radio: He thinks it’s cyberstalking, not mental illness

A woman on Reddit is asking for help because her significant other says he hears “white noise-like” voices from everyday objects telling him to kill her and himself. She thinks he’s had a mental health break, but he thinks he’s the victim of cyberstalking by his brother’s wife.

The issues reportedly began after a rough patch in their relationship, during which the woman temporarily left him. During this period, he used methamphetamine and Adderall, though only briefly, and is now sober. The Reddit poster claims that during this time, his behavior became increasingly erratic.

In one instance, while staying in a run-down hotel, he tore out a ceiling tile, insisting he saw people engaging in sexual activity above them. He also claimed a teenager was attempting to peek through their window while she was staying elsewhere.

Voices from shoes, pants, phones, and the car radio

Following these events, she says he moved in with his brother, briefly relapsed on drugs, and began hearing voices. Now sober for nearly six months, he continues to describe auditory hallucinations, which he says come from random objects like his shoes, pants, phones, and the car radio.

She says he hears one primary voice but sometimes experiences up to three, including a quiet, white noise-like voice he calls the “compromiser.”

According to the Reddit post, the man, a 33-year-old, has been involved with police, received psychiatric treatment, and taken prescribed medication, yet the situation has persisted. The woman says she has tried to support him without enabling his behavior. A psychiatrist even mentioned that he may be too old for a typical schizophrenia diagnosis, which often presents earlier in life.

The situation has led to destructive behavior. He reportedly destroyed two phones he believed were hacked and, at one point, nearly ended his life with a gun after the voices instructed him to kill both his partner and himself.

He even contacted police during these episodes, though they were reportedly unhelpful, telling him, “You can’t hack someone’s shoe,” and recommending a hospital visit.

“GET AWAY FROM HIM IMMEDIATELY!” one comment said

According to the Reddit post, a psychiatrist has attributed the man’s symptoms to excess dopamine and adrenaline, which may create anxiety and trigger hallucinations. He was prescribed medication, yet the voices persisted. While voluntarily checking himself into a mental facility temporarily stopped the voices, they returned upon his release.

He now firmly believes he is being “cyberstalked” by his brother’s wife, an ex-meth user, who he claims manipulates him by alternating between kindness and criticism. He insists this harassment is responsible for the voices, refusing to consider a medical explanation or further treatment.

The Reddit poster expressed feeling “stuck and lost,” as there is no physical evidence to support legal action or confirm the claims. She is seeking advice on how to help him, mentally and emotionally, without relying on medical intervention.

In a recent update, she noted that he was becoming impatient and was switched to different medications as they consulted another psychiatrist. The post has sparked conversation online about the challenges of supporting loved ones experiencing severe delusions, drug-induced psychosis, or potential mental illness versus alleged cyberstalking.

One comment said in part, “GET AWAY FROM HIM IMMEDIATELY! Go to a friend’s place, a family member, or if needed a women’s shelter — anywhere he wouldn’t know where you are or have access to. This isn’t an overreaction — he is clearly suffering from psychosis, and is refusing to do anything about it. You cannot get him to ‘think’ his way out of it, since if he was able to be reasonable he would have already checked himself back into a mental facility.