Auditory Hallucinations: Background information when reading Under This Red Rock

Neely, the main character in Mindy McGinnis's Under This Red Rock, experiences auditory hallucinations (AHs). Since an early age, Neely has heard people clapping for her, children laughing and playing, and the voice of a young girl asking for water. She's developed techniques for managing her symptoms, but she still suffers emotionally and socially because of these voices, and she's afraid of getting help after seeing her father's hallucinations worsen with treatment. Many people today suffer from either temporary or long-term AHs, and pharmaceutical and psychological treatments have been developed to help manage or eliminate these aberrant sounds.

The National Institutes of Health defines AHs as "the sensory perceptions of hearing noises without an external stimulus." It's estimated that 5-28% of Americans have experienced AHs, with many cases being temporary and harmless. Up to 70% of individuals experience AHs when falling asleep or waking up at some point in their lives; these ...