Tinnitus, as with lots of chronic conditions, has a mental health aspect to it. It isn’t just a matter of dealing with the symptoms. It’s coping with the symptoms constantly never knowing for sure if they will subside. Unfortunately, for some, tinnitus can bring about depression.
Chronic tinnitus has been connected to a higher instance of suicide, particularly among women, according to research published in the Journal of American Medical Association and conducted by Stockholm Public Health Cohort (SPHC).
Suicide And Tinnitus, What’s The Connection?
In order to establish any kind of link between tinnitus and suicide, researchers at the SPHC surveyed about 70,000 individuals (Accurate, reliable results require large sample sizes).
According to the answers they got back:
- 22.5% of the participants reported having tinnitus.
- Suicide attempts happened with 9% of women with significant tinnitus.
- 5.5% of men with severe tinnitus had suicide attempts.
- A hearing professional diagnosed tinnitus in only 2.1% of participants.
The differences in suicide rates between men and women are obvious, leading the experts to bring attention to the increased risks for women. These findings also suggest that a large portion of people experiencing tinnitus don’t get a diagnosis or get professional help. Many people can get relief by wearing hearing aids and other treatments.
Are These Universal Findings?
This study must be replicated in other areas of the world, with different sized populations, and ruling out other variables before we can come to any broad generalizations. That said, we shouldn’t ignore the problem in the meantime.
What Does This Research Mean?
The study was inconclusive about why women had a higher suicide rate than men but that was certainly the result. There are numerous possible explanations, of course, but there’s nothing inherent in the data that points towards any of those arguments as more or less likely.
Here are a few things to pay attention to:
Not All Tinnitus is “Severe”
First and foremost, the vast majority of those who have noticed tinnitus do not have “severe” tinnitus. That doesn’t mean moderate or slight cases of tinnitus do not offer their own challenges. But the statistical connection between suicide and women with tinnitus was most evident (and, thus, denotes the greatest risk) with those who rated their tinnitus as severe.
Low Numbers of Respondents Were Diagnosed
Possibly the next most surprising conclusion in this research is that relatively few individuals were actually diagnosed with tinnitus, even though they had moderate to severe symptoms.
This is perhaps the best way to reduce the risk of suicide and other health problems linked to tinnitus and hearing impairment in general. That’s because treatment for tinnitus can offer many overall advantages:
- Those who are treated for tinnitus can learn to better regulate their symptoms.
- Tinnitus is frequently a sign of hearing loss, which can (and should) be treated.
- Depression is frequently improved with tinnitus treatment.
Tinnitus is Connected to Hearing Loss
Up to 90% of individuals who experience tinnitus also have hearing loss according to some studies and dealing with hearing loss by wearing hearing aids can help reduce tinnitus symptoms. In fact, some hearing aids are made with additional features to help tinnitus symptoms. Make an appointment to find out if hearing aids might help you.
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References
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaotolaryngology/fullarticle/2732497