New Survey on Musical Ear Syndrome
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.
Musical Ear Syndrome (MES) is a condition where a person hears phantom, non-tinnitus sounds—typically music, singing, voices or other sounds.
Although it is quite common, especially among people with hearing loss, few people openly talk about it for fear of being thought crazy.
The good news is that Musical Ear Syndrome is not a psychiatric condition, but rather something not working quite right in the auditory system. In other words, yes you can hear phantom sounds; but no, you are not crazy.
I have been studying MES for several years, and have written several articles and a book on the subject based on the hundreds and hundreds of people that contact me for help.
Unfortunately, medical doctors do not recognize Musical Ear Syndrome as a “real” condition, and many even tell their patients that there is no such thing as MES. This needs to change.
As a result, I have teamed up with Dr. Richard McCollum, a psychiatrist, to study MES in greater detail with a view to having it become a valid medical diagnosis. When this is done, people suffering from MES will hopefully be correctly diagnosed and treated, rather than being thought “crazy” and being drugged with anti-psychotic medications as so often happens now.
To help us in our further research, we would like to hear more stories of your experiences with MES. Therefore, if you “hear” sounds that no one else hears, please fill out our survey form at the bottom of my article “Musical Ear Syndrome“. It will help us to help others with Musical Ear Syndrome.
In the meantime, if you have Musical Ear Syndrome, my book, “Phantom Voices, Ethereal Music & Other Spooky Sounds” explains what Musical Ear Syndrome is, and what you can do to help bring it under control.
November 2nd, 2009 at 9:58 pm
I am not deaf or hearing impaired but have been hearing an old grandfather clock chiming in a very old fashioned style and it has been keeping me awake. I don’t understand where the noise came from or why.
January 4th, 2010 at 2:00 pm
My mom is 73 and just told me that she has been hearing music playing in the distance. At first I thought maybe a neighbor was playing music. That was until she said she can change the song or sometimes the song stops and she could hear the thump thump sound when a record ends. She said the music is really low and the songs are old songs. My Dad passed away last summer and although they divorced when I was 15 (I’m 41 now) he was the love of her life and she never re-married. Could depression be a factor?
She is musically gifted. My mom used to sing really well and used to play the piano by ear.
January 18th, 2010 at 5:09 pm
For the past few months I have been hearing music in my ears..I have problems with my hearing..The music i hear over and over is the same..”glory, Glory Hallelujah, and Yes we’ll gather at the river..Its an everyday thing…other times i hear ringing..I know Im not crazy but it does get very aggravating at times..If ear drs think this doesnt happen,,they need to think again..it really is happening to me.Ive told others about this and they dont ridicule me, they seem to understand..and this is the truth..i have no idea why this is happening..but i have learned to live with it…Robert
January 24th, 2010 at 9:03 am
Hi Charlene:
Yes, depression can definitely be a factor in the onset of Musical Ear Syndrome such as your mom is experiencing. Of course there could be several other factors as well.
Regards
Neil
January 8th, 2011 at 2:11 pm
Upon occasion, no matter where I am, at times I hear voices that sound like a tv or radio from a distant room. It was very interesting to me to learn that others have this experience too. Any comments you have would be of interest to me and I will share them with my physician at the VA. Thank you