As with many chronic conditions, there’s a mental health component to tinnitus. Coping with the symptoms isn’t the only obstacle. It’s finding the inner fortitude and resiliency to do it regularly without knowing whether they will ever go away once and for all. Regrettably, for some, tinnitus can bring about depression.
Persistent tinnitus has been linked to a higher instance of suicide, especially in women, according to a study published in the Journal of American Medical Association and conducted by Stockholm Public Health Cohort (SPHC).
What’s The Link Between Suicide And Tinnitus?
Scientists at the SPHC questioned about 70,000 individuals to establish the link between tinnitus and suicide (bigger sample sizes are necessary to generate dependable, scientific final results).
According to the responses they got back:
- 22.5% of the participants reported having tinnitus.
- 9% of women with extreme tinnitus had attempted suicide.
- Of the men with significant tinnitus, 5.5% had attempted suicide.
- Just 2.1% of participants reported that their tinnitus had been diagnosed by a hearing specialist.
It’s clear that women with tinnitus have a higher instance of suicide and researchers are trying to raise awareness for them. And most individuals with tinnitus symptoms, according to this research, don’t have their tinnitus diagnosed by a hearing professional. Many individuals can get relief by wearing hearing aids and other treatments.
Are These Findings Universal?
This study must be replicated in other parts of the world, with different population sizes, and ruling out other variables before we can make any broad generalizations. That said, we shouldn’t ignore the problem in the meantime.
What’s The Underlying Meaning of This Research?
While this research indicates an elevated risk of suicide for women with significant tinnitus, the study did not draw clear conclusions as to why women were at greater risk of suicide than men. There are various reasons why this might be but the data doesn’t pinpoint any one reason why this might be.
Some things to take note of:
Not All Tinnitus is “Severe”
First and foremost, the vast majority of those who have noticed tinnitus do not have “severe” tinnitus. Moderate cases also present their own obstacles, of course. But the suicide risk for women was far more marked for women who reported “severe” tinnitus symptoms.
Most of The Participants Weren’t Diagnosed
Maybe the next most startling conclusion in this research is that fairly few individuals were actually diagnosed with tinnitus, even though they displayed moderate to severe symptoms.
This is perhaps the best way to decrease the risk of suicide and other health problems connected to tinnitus and hearing loss in general. That’s because treatment for tinnitus can present many overall benefits:
- Tinnitus symptoms can be more efficiently controlled with treatment.
- Tinnitus is commonly a sign of hearing loss, which can (and should) be treated.
- Depression is frequently improved with tinnitus treatment.
Tinnitus is Connected to Hearing Loss
It’s estimated that 90 percent of people with tinnitus have hearing impairment, and studies indicate that hearing aids help regulate the symptoms of tinnitus. As a matter of fact, some hearing aids are designed with additional features to improve tinnitus symptoms. Schedule an appointment to find out if hearing aids could help you.
References
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaotolaryngology/fullarticle/2732497
