Hearing Aids can help reduce the negative effects of the common condition of hearing loss. Still, a lot of hearing loss goes undiscovered and untreated – and that can lead to higher depression rates and feelings of isolation in people who suffer from hearing loss.
And it can spiral into a vicious circle where isolation and depression from hearing loss bring about a breakdown in work and personal relationship resulting in even worse depression and isolation. This is a difficulty that doesn’t need to take place, and managing your hearing loss is the key to ending the downward spiral.
Research Connects Depression to Hearing Loss
Symptoms of depression have been continuously linked, according to countless studies, to hearing loss. One study of people with untreated hearing loss found that adults 50 years or older were more likely to report symptoms of depression, and signs of paranoia or anxiety. And it was also more likely that that group would retreat from social engagement. Many stated that they felt like people were getting frustrated with them for no apparent reason. However, relationships were improved for people who wore hearing aids, who noted that friends, family, and co-workers all noticed the difference.
A more profound sense of depression is encountered, as documented by a different study, by people who suffered from a 25 decibel or higher hearing impairment. Individuals over 70 with a self-diagnosed hearing loss didn’t demonstrate a significant contrast in depression rates in comparison to people without hearing loss. But all other demographics contain individuals who aren’t receiving the help that they need for their hearing loss. And individuals who took part in a different study revealed that those participants who treated their hearing loss with hearing aids had a lower depression rate.
Mental Health is Affected by Opposition to Wearing Hearing Aids
It seems apparent that with these kinds of outcomes people would want to seek out assistance with their hearing loss. But people don’t find help for two main reasons. One is that some simply don’t think their hearing is that impaired. They think that people are intentionally talking quietly or mumbling. Also, it’s relatively common for people to have no clue they have a hearing impairment. To them, it seems like other people get tired of talking to them.
It’s vital that anyone who has experienced symptoms of depression or anxiety, or the feeling that they are being excluded from interactions because they are talking too quietly or mumbling too much, have their hearing tested. If your hearing specialist discovers hearing problems, hearing aid options should be discussed. Seeing a good hearing specialist might be all that is needed to feel much better.