Hearing Things

About the Symptom

Hearing voices is sometimes called an ‘auditory hallucination’. The voices can vary in how often you hear them, what they sound like, what they say, and whether they’re familiar or unfamiliar. While hearing voices might be a sign of mental illness, not everyone who hears voices is suffering from one. Hearing voices is a fairly typical occurrence: one out of every ten people will do it at some time in their lives.

When to See a Doctor

Seek professional care if you experience any of the following symptoms

• Hearing things

Possible Causes

Generally, Hearing things can be related to:

• Schizophrenia

  A psychotic disorder characterized by disturbances in thinking (cognition), emotional responsiveness, and behavior, with an age of onset typically between the late teens and mid-30s. Hearing voices and/or believing things that aren't consistent with reality are common symptoms. The exact cause is unknown, but a mix of genetic, psychological, and environmental factors are likely responsible.

• Dissociative Disorder

  Dissociative disorder is a mental disorder that involves experiencing a disconnection and lack of continuity between thoughts, memories, surroundings, actions, and identity. People with dissociative disorder escape reality in ways that are involuntary and unhealthy, causing problems with functioning in everyday life.

• Depression

  Depression is a mental illness that leads to low mood, reduced energy levels, and changes in sleep. This affects everyday activities like attending school and work. As the condition worsens, patients might have suicidal thoughts. Although stress and past trauma can cause depression, it can take time to identify and address causes, and genetic factors may also be at play.

• Alzheimer's Disease

• Herpes Simplex Encephalitis (HSE)

• Adjustment Disorder

Related Serious Diseases

Sometimes, Hearing things may be related to these serious diseases:

• Tinnitus

  Episodes of tinnitus occur when someone experiences ringing or other noises in one or both ears intermittently. It is usually caused by an underlying condition, such as age-related hearing loss, an ear injury, or a problem with the circulatory system.

• Chronic Subdural Hematoma

Doctor's Diagnostic Questions

Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this symptom:

• Do you hear sounds or voices from unknown sources?
• Do you hear voices around you?
• Do you hear sounds when there's nothing there?

Find Similar Symptoms

References

• American Psychological Association - Auditory Hallucinations

  https://dictionary.apa.org/auditory-hallucination