Hearing Aids can help lessen the negative consequence of the common condition of hearing loss. However, a lot of hearing loss goes undiagnosed and neglected – and that can lead to greater depression rates and feelings of solitude in people who suffer from hearing loss.
It can also result in a breakdown in personal and work relationships, which itself adds to more feelings of depression and isolation. This is a problem that doesn’t have to take place, and managing your hearing loss is the best way to end the downward spiral.
Studies Link Hearing Loss to Depression
Symptoms of depression have been consistently linked, according to several studies, to hearing loss. Symptoms of depression, anxiety, and paranoia were, according to one study, more likely to affect individuals over 50 who struggle with untreated hearing loss. And it was also more likely that those people would retreat from social involvement. Many couldn’t comprehend why it seemed like people were getting mad at them. However, relationships were improved for people who got hearing aids, who stated that friends, family, and co-workers all recognized the difference.
A more intense sense of depression is encountered, as reported by a different study, by people who suffered from a 25 decibel or higher hearing impairment. The only group that didn’t record an increased occurrence of depression even with hearing loss was people over the age of 70. But that still indicates that a large part of the population is not getting the help they need to better their lives. And people who took part in another study revealed that those people who managed their hearing loss with hearing aids had a lower rate of depression.
Lack of Awareness or Unwillingness to Use Hearing Aids Impacts Mental Health
With reported benefits like those, you might imagine that people would wish to deal with their hearing loss. However, two factors have prevented people from getting help. Some people think that their hearing is working just fine when it really isn’t. They have themselves convinced that people are mumbling or even that they are talking quietly on purpose. Also, it’s relatively common for people to have no clue they have a hearing impairment. It seems, to them, that people don’t like to talk 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 due to people speaking too quietly or mumbling too much, get their hearing examined. If there’s hearing loss, that person should discuss which hearing aid is best for them. Consulting a good hearing specialist may be all that is needed to feel much better.
