What are auditory hallucinations?
Auditory hallucinations happen when you hear voices or noises that aren’t there. The sounds you hear may seem real, but they’re not.
A person may perceive auditory hallucinations as coming through their ears, on the surface of their body, in their mind or from anywhere in the space around them. They can occur as frequently as daily or as an isolated episode.
Auditory hallucinations are often associated with schizophrenia and other mental health conditions, but they can happen for several other reasons, such as hearing loss, and aren’t always a sign of a mental health condition.
Researchers estimate that 5% to 28% of people in the United States experience auditory hallucinations. They’re the most common type of hallucination.
Some people experience auditory hypnogogic hallucinations that specifically take place as they’re falling asleep. These types of hallucinations are common and usually not a cause for concern.
Advertisem*nt
Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy
What are the types of auditory hallucinations?
The two main types of auditory hallucinations are verbal (hearing voices) and hearing sounds or noises.
Auditory verbal hallucinations (hearing voices)
An auditory verbal hallucination is the phenomenon of hearing voices in the absence of any speaker.
The experience of hearing voices can vary greatly from person to person and even for the same person. They can vary in how often you hear them, what they sound like, what they say and whether they’re familiar or unfamiliar.
The voices may come from a single source, such as a television, or multiple sources. It may be a singular voice or multiple voices. They may talk directly to the person, have discussions with them or describe events taking place.
The voices may be positive, negative or neutral. Sometimes, hearing voices can be upsetting or distressing. They may command you to do something that may cause harm to yourself or others.
Auditory verbal hallucinations most commonly affect people with schizophrenia and/or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but they can happen to people who don’t have any health conditions.
Hearing sounds or noises
Auditory hallucinations can take the form of hearing sounds or noises, such as music, animal calls, nature sounds or background noises. They may seem like they’re coming from anywhere in the space around you or in your mind. The noise volume can vary from very quiet to very loud.
Is it normal to hear auditory hallucinations?
If you experience auditory hallucinations just as you’re falling asleep (hypnogogic hallucinations) or waking up (hypnopompic hallucinations), it’s considered normal and usually not a cause for concern. Up to 70% of people experience these types of hallucinations at least once.
If you experience auditory hallucinations while you’re wide awake, it may be — but isn’t always— a symptom of a mental health or neurological condition. Talk to your healthcare provider about the hallucinations and any other symptoms you have.
FAQs
It is common in several conditions. While this symptom occurs fairly often in people with schizophrenia, it can also occur in a range of other psychiatric conditions, such as depression. It may also stem from nonpsychiatric conditions, such as seizures. Treatment entails addressing the underlying cause.
What is the cause of auditory hallucinations? ›
It is common in several conditions. While this symptom occurs fairly often in people with schizophrenia, it can also occur in a range of other psychiatric conditions, such as depression. It may also stem from nonpsychiatric conditions, such as seizures. Treatment entails addressing the underlying cause.
How to make auditory hallucinations go away? ›
3. Suggest coping strategies, such as:
- humming or singing a song several times.
- listening to music.
- reading (forwards and backwards)
- talking with others.
- exercise.
- ignoring the voices.
- medication (important to include).
Treatment for hallucinations
For example, if you have a mental health condition like schizophrenia, you may be given therapy or medicine to help reduce your hallucinations. A GP may recommend lifestyle changes like drinking less alcohol, not taking drugs and getting more sleep to reduce your hallucinations.
What medications cause auditory hallucinations? ›
A number of psychiatric medications such as olanzapine (Zyprexa), quetiapine (Seroquel), and haloperidol (Haldol) have all been associated with causing hallucinations, in addition to zolpidem (Ambien), eszopiclone (Lunesta), clonazepam (Klonopin), lorazepam (Ativan), ropinirole (Requip), and some seizure medications.
What is the best medication for auditory hallucinations? ›
Medications to manage auditory hallucinations
The antipsychotic medication clozapine (Clozaril®) is the most effective option for treating symptoms of schizophrenia, including hallucinations, but it can cause dangerous side effects that affect your blood.
Can stress and anxiety cause auditory hallucinations? ›
A study in the January 2016 edition of the journal Consciousness and Cognition documented a connection between anxiety and auditory hallucinations. This study noted that anxiety may cause verbal hallucinations (this is the subset of auditory hallucinations that involves hearing voices).
How do you self help auditory hallucinations? ›
Coping with hearing voices
- Understand your voices.
- Communicate with your voices.
- Distract yourself from your voices.
- Talk to other people who hear voices.
- Look after yourself.
- Find spiritual help.
Here are some more practical steps to help your loved one cope with hallucinations.
- hum or sing a song several times.
- listen to music.
- reading (forward and backward)
- talk to others.
- exercise.
- ignoring voices.
- medication (important to include)
First person auditory illusions (i.e. audible thoughts): patients hear their own thoughts spoken out loud as they think them. Second person auditory hallucinations: patients hear a voice, or voices, talking directly to them.
Stage 1. Also referred to as the comforting stage,a person may begin to experience a sense of anxiety, loneliness or guilt that can cause them to focus obsessively on thoughts that will relieve those feelings. However, the sufferer realizes the thoughts are their own and finds that they can control them.
How to talk to someone with auditory hallucinations? ›
Focus on feelings. Ask them how their voices make them feel, rather than what they're saying. The content of voices can be very personal, so try to reassure them that they only need to share what they're comfortable with.
How to stop musical hallucinations? ›
If musical hallucination has an underlying cause, addressing the cause will often relieve the hallucination. It might be appropriate to use medication to treat the underlying condition and your doctor will be happy to discuss this with you. The most common cause is hearing loss.
What chemical imbalance causes auditory hallucinations? ›
Dopamine. In schizophrenia (SCZ), there is evidence that very high levels of dopamine in the limbic system play a major role in emergence of hallucinations and delusions. Antipsychotic medications, which block central dopamine activity, alleviate the hallucinations of psychosis.
Why do I get random auditory hallucinations? ›
There are many possible causes. Generally, they happen from chemical reactions in your body or changes in your brain. It could be a mental illness called schizophrenia, a nervous system problem such as Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, or several other things.
How to respond to someone having hallucinations? ›
Reduce stimuli: turn off radios, televisions, bright lights, or anything else that may cause stress. Address the person by name or, if you don't know it, ask them how they would like to be addressed. The immediate goal of your response should be to help the person focus on reality rather than the hallucination.
What mental illness hears voices? ›
Mental health problems – you may hear voices as a symptom of some mental health problems, including psychosis, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder or severe depression.
What are 2nd person auditory hallucinations? ›
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".
