Manifestations of phantom hearing disorder

Phantom hearing disorder is characterized by hearing voices that cannot be heard by others, and is divided into verbal and non-verbal phantom hearing according to the content of the hearing, and into true and false phantom hearing according to the self-reported source of the voice. The typical symptom is that the patient often reports hearing a certain sound out of thin air. The sound heard can be verbal, such as a conversation in which the patient participates, or a conversation in which the patient hears others as an observer. Verbal hallucinations can be a few words, a few sentences, a commentary on the patient’s behavior, or a command hallucination if the patient is ordered to do something. The sound heard by the patient can also be a monotonous and repetitive non-verbal sound and shadow, such as the sound of a machine roaring and birds chirping, which mostly occurs repeatedly. Most of the patients’ behavior and emotions are affected by the hallucinations. As the contents of the hallucinations are mostly unfavorable to the patients, the patients’ emotions are mostly depressed and unhappy or talking with the hallucinations, or talking to themselves, and in serious cases, they have impulsive or dangerous behaviors, resulting in adverse consequences.