However, experts suspect that the condition is severely underreported due to the stigma of being related to mental health disorders. Research suggests that MES has been experienced by almost 10% of people living with hearing loss. Musical ear syndrome is seen most commonly in people with severe hearing loss and those living a quiet lifestyle. If you are concerned that your medicine or treatment is causing musical hallucinations, it is important to discuss this immediately with your hearing healthcare provider. In rare cases, musical ear syndrome can be a side effect of medication or cochlear implantation. This leads to musical hallucinations that are characteristic of musical ear syndrome. Deprived of stimulation, the brain begins to generate and perceive its own sounds from our auditory memories. The sound deprivation leads to less stimulation to the part of the brain that processes sound. However, when someone experiences hearing loss, they are exposed to less sound. When we experience diverse sounds in our environment, our brain is actively involved in making sense of the wide range of sounds. ![]() Sound from our environment needs to travel through our ears and hearing system to reach our brain, where we perceive and react to the noise. Our ability to perceive sound from our environment involves a complex process. ![]() While there is no consensus on the cause of musical ear syndrome, most researchers and auditory health professionals believe that musical hallucinations are correlated with hearing loss and sound deprivation. In fact, many MES patients can attribute their musical hallucinations to hearing loss. Musical hallucinations in a patient with musical ear syndrome are not related to cognitive and psychiatric affiliations. However, musical ear syndrome is a non-psychiatric manifestation of musical hallucinations. Psychiatric manifestations of musical hallucinations are associated with mental health disorders such as schizophrenia. Musical hallucinations present themselves as either psychiatric or non-psychiatric manifestations. Musical hallucination is a type of auditory hallucination, where the listener is hearing and perceiving musical sounds that don’t exist in their current environment (such as something close by playing the sounds they are hearing). These patients commonly report hearing musical hallucinations of hymns or songs that are patriotic or representative of a holiday (e.g. ![]() Generally, individuals experiencing musical ear syndrome can perceive music with or without singing. The complex nature of these musical hallucinations makes it difficult for MES patients to distinguish between sounds that are real or fabricated. ![]() In fact, MES patients can often identify the exact direction of the sound they are hearing. Unlike hearing a song in your head, people who experience this perceive the sound as coming from an outside source. Musical ear syndrome (MES), also known as musical tinnitus, is a disorder where patients experience musical hallucinations, such as singing or melodies without a physical source. We have put together a thorough guide on what musical ear syndrome is, what causes it, and what you can do to minimize the effect it has on your life. While it can be difficult to diagnose and treat, understanding what it is and what you can do to alleviate the symptoms can be important first steps to recovery. Musical ear syndrome is a disorder that causes patients to hear musical hallucinations with no apparent source. However, it can be unsettling and stressful to hear voices and sounds that do not actually exist. Hearing, one of the five key senses provides us with access to the world we live in and allows us to share moments with those closest to us.
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