auditory hallucination
Noun: An auditory hallucination is the illusory auditory perception of strange nonverbal sounds. It involves hearing sounds, such as noises, music, or other acoustic phenomena, that are not actually present in the external environment. This is a type of hallucination specific to the sense of hearing.
The term is used primarily in clinical, psychological, and neurological contexts to describe a symptom where a person perceives sound without an external source. It is a formal and specific term.
- The patient reported an auditory hallucination of constant buzzing, which was diagnosed as a symptom of the condition.
- Researchers are studying the brain mechanisms that cause auditory hallucination.
- Experiencing an auditory hallucination, such as hearing music when none is playing, can be very distressing.
- Clinical Context: The term is a key descriptor in diagnosing and discussing symptoms of psychiatric disorders (e.g., schizophrenia), neurological conditions, or states induced by substances or extreme fatigue.
- Distinction from Verbal Hallucination: An auditory hallucination typically refers to sounds. Hearing voices or spoken words is more specifically described as a or simply "hearing voices."
- Hallucination (n): A broader term for a perception in the absence of an external stimulus that has the compelling sense of reality. Auditory hallucination is one subtype.
- Phonism (n): A less common synonym for a hallucination of sound.
- Acoustic hallucination (n): A direct synonym for auditory hallucination.
- Verbal auditory hallucination (n): A specific subtype where the perceived sound is of spoken language or voices.
- Acoustic hallucination
- Hearing things
- Phantom sound perception
- Musical hallucination: A specific type of auditory hallucination where the perceived sound is music.
- To have auditory hallucinations: The verbal phrase used to describe the experience.
- Example: The medication helped reduce the frequency with which she had auditory hallucinations.
The core meaning is fixed around the false perception of nonverbal sounds. It is a symptom, not a condition itself. The "strange" quality in the definition often implies the sounds are unfamiliar, intrusive, or not contextually appropriate, distinguishing them from normal internal mental imagery or earworms (involuntary musical imagery).
- illusory auditory perception of strange nonverbal sounds