By: Dr. Lindsey
Last night I was lying in bed by my five-year-old, snuggling him to sleep when I swear I heard my 12-year-old in the basement scream, “MOM!”
After franticly checking on the child in the basement, sure something was wrong, and being informed there was no such call for help, I thought, “I must be tired”. Then I chuckled.
This is not the first time this has happened to me. Not that I would say it’s frequent, however, after having children, it was not uncommon for me to occasional think I heard a baby crying when in fact there wasn’t one.
Auditory Hallucinations
Unlike Auditory Imagery (i.e. having a song stuck in your head), this phenomenon is what’s called Auditory Hallucinations and has reported in 10-15% of people (though I often feel that number is low due to other mothers reporting having the same thing happen, particularly after giving birth). It is also typical for people who have Auditory Hallucinations to be hesitant to admit to the experience.
While it can correlate with hearing loss, particularly in the elderly population, having an Auditory Hallucination occasionally is generally not immediate cause for concern. Rarely is it associated with psychosis, and most that experience an occasional Auditory Hallucination aren’t generally bothered by it.
Auditory Hallucinations can come in the form of music, voices, everyday sounds or even distorted sounds.
Should I Do Something About My Auditory Hallucinations?
While it has been reported to be elevated in times of disease, trauma, injury, bereavement, sensory deprivation, exhaustion (parents of newborns?), religious experiences, and/or certain drug use—it can happen to everyone at some point in their life.
With the occasional Auditory Hallucination, it is typically not related to how well a person can actually hear (hearing acuity) and alone isn’t a reason to rush to your audiologist unless it is frequent or there are other concerns for hearing loss.
However, it is more common for those who have hearing loss, are socially isolated, and/or elderly individuals who also have tinnitus to have more frequent Auditory Hallucinations as the brain tries to decode or interpret the sounds it is or isn’t hearing. Interestingly, people born with profound deafness can also experience Auditory Hallucinations.
On the flip side, Auditory Hallucinations do occur in 70-80% of individuals with Schizophrenia so if you have a history of psychosis or are having Auditory Hallucinations that are causing distress, please seek an evaluation by a mental health professional. Typically, those with Auditory Hallucinations due to mental illness have difficulty being convinced the sounds were not present in the external environment.
Have you experienced an Auditory Hallucination before? As someone who specializes in unwanted auditory stimuli, I find them fascinating! If you have questions or concerns regarding Auditory Hallucinations and questions regarding if you should seek treatment, please call or e-mail me! While this is NOT something I offer treatment for (unless it’s directly related to hearing loss) I am happy to help with advice on how to proceed – and who to see – if this is something you or your child struggles with.
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