Complex auditory hallucinations associated with hearing impairment in elderly adults

Auditory hallucinations are a common yet underexplored phenomenon in individuals with hearing impairment, particularly in the elderly. Oliver Sacks syndrome, often seen in patients with sensory deprivation, is typically characterized by musical hallucinations but can also present with nonmusical auditory experiences....

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Audiologists and hearing specialists working with elderly patients should be aware that complex auditory hallucinations may be a consequence of hearing impairment rather than a psychiatric disorder, but this descriptive article provides no new clinical protocol or practice change.

Raising awareness of auditory hallucinations linked to hearing loss in elderly patients is important for avoiding misdiagnosis as a primary psychiatric condition and for prompting appropriate cross-disciplinary referral.

1. 01Complex auditory hallucinations in hearing-impaired elderly adults may represent Oliver Sacks (Musical Ear) syndrome — a release phenomenon from sensory deprivation.
2. 02The phenomenon is distinct from psychiatric hallucinations and is underrecognised in clinical practice.
3. 03Article published in Indian Psychiatry Journal (PMID 42724941).
4. 04Highlights need for audiologists and psychiatrists to collaborate when elderly patients report hearing unexplained sounds.
5. 05No quantitative outcomes or interventional data reported; article is descriptive/opinion in nature.

PMID

42724941

DOI

10.4103/ipj.ipj_191_25.

Journal

Indian Psychiatry Journal

Publication type

review

Evidence level

5

Population

Elderly adults with hearing impairment experiencing complex auditory hallucinations