Does Tinnitus Lead to Depression?

Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery, 2011

Objective. In this study, the authors investigated whether tinnitus severity is a problem related to depression. If so, the following 2 conditions should be fulfilled: first, there should be evidence for the presence of moderate to severe depressive symptomatology in a substantial group of tinnitus patients; second, there should be evidence of a substantial relationship between depressive symptoms and tinnitus severity.

Journal Riphah College of Rehabilitation Sciences, 2024

Objectives: To determine the characteristics of tinnitus and its association with clinical and demographic variables including psychological health. Methodology: This cross-sectional study recruited 80 tinnitus cases from ENT outpatients of District Head Quarter Hospital Chakwal from over a period of 6 months from 1st Jan 2019 to 31st June, 2019, using convenience sampling. Sample included both genders, aged 18-75 years with tinnitus for at least three months. Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) & Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale 21 (DASS-21) were used for data collection & analysis done using SPSS-version 20. Anova statistics & Pearsons correlation was determined for THI and DASS-21. Chi-square test was used to see any association with clinic-demographic variables. P<0.05 was considered significant. Results: Study revealed 30(37.5%) cases with mild, 20(25%) each with moderate and severe while least 4(5%) catastrophic tinnitus. Tinnitus severity was significant associated with gender (p=0.005), age (p=0.035), educational level (p=0.049), occupation (p=0.002), duration of tinnitus (p=0.038), site of tinnitus (P<0.001) and type of tinnitus sound (P=0.003). Duration of tinnitus was associated with anxiety (p=0.024), site of tinnitus was associated with THI (p=0.016), anxiety (p=0.021), stress (p<0.001) and depression (p=0.02) and total DASS-21 (p=0.005). A significant positive correlation was present between tinnitus handicap, Anxiety, stress, depression and DASS-21 total score (P<0.001). Conclusion: Mild tinnitus was most prevalent (37.5%) with Tinnitus severity having significant association with gender, age, educational level, occupation, duration of tinnitus, site of tinnitus, and type of tinnitus sound. Duration of tinnitus was also associated with anxiety while site of tinnitus has association with THI, anxiety, stress, depression and total DASS-21. Significant positive correlation is present between THI and Anxiety, stress, depression and DASS-21 total score.

Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, 2011

Objective. In this study, the authors investigated whether tinnitus severity is a problem related to depression. If so, the following 2 conditions should be fulfilled: first, there should be evidence for the presence of moderate to severe depressive symptomatology in a substantial group of tinnitus patients; second, there should be evidence of a substantial relationship between depressive symptoms and tinnitus severity.

International Tinnitus Journal, 2013

The present study investigated the relationship between the perceived tinnitus severity, depressive and anxiety symptoms in individuals with tinnitus. An attempt was also made to see if any relationship exists between the perceived tinnitus severity and the age, gender or hearing status of the sufferer. Materials and Methods: Fifty individuals (31 males, 19 females) with tinnitus (age range 19 to 60 years) were enrolled in the study. After the routine pure tone audiometry, each participant completed the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Self Report-30. Results: A significant correlation (r = 0.585, p < 0.01) was found between the perceived tinnitus severity, as indicated by the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory scores and depressive symptoms. Tinnitus Handicap Inventory scores also correlated significantly with both state and trait anxiety levels (r = 0.602, p<0.01; r = 0.426, p < 0.01 respectively). Furthermore, age, gender and hearing status did not significantly influence the perceived severity of tinnitus. Conclusion: The results support the view that there is a strong relation between tinnitus and anxiety-depressive symptoms. Further, perceived severity of tinnitus is not influenced by age, gender and hearing status of the individual.

European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, 2012

The study was carried out to determine the impact of some co-morbid otological symptoms and demographic factors on the emotional distress and cognitive functioning in patients with tinnitus. One hundred consecutive patients, complaining of constant idiopathic tinnitus, were enrolled into the study. Four tests were administered: Beck Depression Inventory, Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS, A-anxiety, D-depression), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Trail Making Test (TMT). A multivariate stepwise linear regression analysis was performed to estimate the relationship between the results of each of the tests and following co-morbid factors: age, sex, tinnitus duration, tinnitus laterality, hearing status (normal hearing, unilateral hearing loss and bilateral hearing loss) and vertigo/dizziness. It was found that the scores of MMSE and TMT were negatively correlated with age and with hearing status and the scores of HADS-A were slightly correlated with sex. In regression analysis, in HADS-A, sex and to a lesser extent tinnitus duration, in MMSE and TMT age and to a lesser extent tinnitus laterality were the variables that were comprised in the final model. Demographic factors had contributed more than overlapping otological symptoms to the psychological outcome in tinnitus patients.

Acta …, 2012

Tinnitus represents one of the most frequent symptoms observed in the general population in association with different pathologies, although often its etiology remains unclear. Objective of this work is to evidence the main aspects concerning epidemiology, causes, audiological characteristics and psychological consequences of tinnitus.

Brazilian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology, 2013

Ti nnitus has been associated with several psychiatric disorders, however there are still several questions regarding such association. Objective: To assess the scientific evidence on the associations between symptoms of depression, depression, and tinnitus. Method: A systematic review was performed using PubMed, Lilacs, and SciELO scientific databases. This review included studies published in Portuguese, Spanish, or English correlating tinnitus with depression; letters to the editor and case reports were excluded. Results: A total of 64 studies were identified, of which only 20 met the inclusion criteria and only 2 were case-control clinical trials. The majority of the studies (n = 18) found that depression is associated with tinnitus, either as a predisposition-resulting in poor adaptation to tinnitus or as a consequence of severe disease. Conclusion: An overall assessment of all of the selected studies suggests at least 3 possible associations between depression and tinnitus: depression affecting tinnitus, tinnitus predisposing individuals to depression, and tinnitus appearing as a comorbidity in patients with depression. There is a high prevalence of depressive symptoms in individuals with tinnitus, but the mechanisms by which depression and tinnitus mutually interact, are not fully understood.

Hno, 2019

ICD-10 Symptom Rating questionnaire for assessment of psychological comorbidities in patients with chronic tinnitus Background The term "tinnitus" (Latintinnire = ringing) refers to the condition in which people perceive sounds in the absence of external acoustic stimuli. There are two types of tinnitus: subjective and objective. "Objective" tinnitus can be perceived with aids-and sometimes even by the examiner. Possible causes comprise vascular malformations, arteriovenous (AV) fistulas, or paragangliomas. "Subjective" tinnitus, however, is far more common. It can only be perceived by the patient and cannot be objectified by conventional audiological diagnostics. Causes for subjective tinnitus are manifold and not always diagnosable. Possible risk factors are, for example, frequent noise exposure, ototoxic drugs, arterial hypertension, or otitis media [1]. Tinnitus is common in the general population. Langguth et al. [2] estimated the prevalence of tinnitus as ranging from 10 to 15%. Epidemiological studies show that chronic tinnitus is highly associated with psychological comorbidities [3, 4]. Common conditions include sleep difficulties, depression, or anxiety disorders that can lead to adverse effects across almost all domains of life for tinnitus sufferers. Depression and anxiety disor-The German version of this article can be found under

Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 2010

Clinical studies indicate a strong association between tinnitus and mental health, but results from general population data are missing. The purpose of the study was to examine the association between tinnitus, mental health, and wellbeing in the general adult population and to identify factors that might mediate and moderate this association. Methods: Data from 51,574 adults participating in the Nord-Trøndelag Hearing Loss Study (1995)(1996)(1997), part of the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT-2), were analyzed. The association between tinnitus symptom intensity and symptoms of depression, anxiety, selfesteem, and subjective well-being was examined by multivariate ANOVA, stratified by age group and sex. Explanatory variables were age, marital status, education, hearing, dizziness, vision, physical disability, and somatic illness. In a subsample of participants with tinnitus, the effects of "time since onset," "predictability of tinnitus episodes," and "noise sensitivity" were tested. Results: Participants with tinnitus scored significantly higher on anxiety and depression and lower on self-esteem and well-being than people without tinnitus. The effect sizes were small and quite similar across levels of tinnitus symptom intensity. No significant effect of time since onset was found. A significant effect of predictability of tinnitus episodes and noise sensitivity was found in some groups. Conclusion: A weak association between tinnitus and mental health was found in this general population study.

American Journal of Audiology, 2014

Purpose To create a questionnaire focused on the primary activities impaired by tinnitus and therefore more sensitive to treatments. Method Questions were developed on (a) emotions, (b) hearing, (c) sleep, and (d) concentration. A 20-item questionnaire was administered to 158 patients. First, confirmatory factor analysis was used to select 3 questions per domain. Second, factor analysis was used to evaluate the appropriateness of the 12-item questionnaire. Results The analysis indicated that the selected questions successfully represented 4 independent domains. Scores were correlated with the Tinnitus Handicap Questionnaire ( r = .77, p &lt; .01) and loudness ( r = .40, p &lt; .01). The Sleep subscale correlated with the Pittsburgh Sleep Index ( r = .68, p &lt; .01); the Emotion subscale correlated with the Beck Inventory ( r = .66, p &lt; .01) and the Trait Anxiety questionnaire ( r = .67, p &lt; .01). The average scores went from 51% to 38% following treatment. Conclusion The Tinn...