I used to have auditory hallucinations of loud thumps kind of like a muffled kick drum and sometimes hear what sounded like people talking quietly (but I couldn't actually discern words). My doc at the time said it was mild psychosis brought on by severe chronic depression. Anyway, it's long since passed, but as for the going deaf thing... I can certainly understand how that may be possible depending on the type of deafness. Was it sensorineural or conductive that was mentioned in the article? Either way, I recommend checking with your doctor.