CHAPTER ONE
Introduction:
Helping Your Tinnitus
Marc Fagelson, PhD

Tinnitus changes people. It can diminish a person’s ability to carry out basic life functions, such as sleeping and relaxing. It can influence a person’s ability to interact with other people. Aspects of patients’ lives once taken for granted and enjoyed can be transformed by tinnitus into negative events to be avoided. Tinnitus patients complain of losing the ability or the desire to maintain relationships. They feel that their identity is changed, and that their value to family, friends, and society is diminished. Patients with tinnitus may find themselves less able or willing to help other people or to seek help on their own. Add to this sense of displacement the fact that tinnitus is not amenable to a simple cure, and the result is a distressing situation for millions of individuals. Despite the lack of a “silver bullet” cure for tinnitus, developments over the past several decades have demonstrated that help is available. Unfortunately, many tinnitus sufferers and many healthcare providers do not access the variety of sources of assistance.

One objective of this book is to provide information regarding the tools available to individuals who need help managing their tinnitus. Remember, you’re not alone, despite the way that the tinnitus may make you feel isolated. In this introductory chapter, we review characteristics of individuals who are at risk for developing and being bothered by tinnitus. We’ll also address potential environmental and personal stressors that can worsen tinnitus, how to find and use help for your tinnitus problems, and avenues along which individuals and families who are disrupted by tinnitus can find information and interventions that may improve coping strategies.

Also well worth noting is the use of words that appear in italics in this book. All such words are defined for you and appear in the helpful Glossary found just before the Index.

Who Gets Tinnitus?

Tinnitus affects millions of people around the world. Several long-term health and demographic studies conducted by professionals indicate that approximately 10-15% of the adult population experiences chronic or persistent tinnitus. Nearly half of the people who hear persistent tinnitus are bothered by it, and about one person in 200 believes that the tinnitus substantially affects their life. Tinnitus affects people regardless of race, gender, nationality, and socio-economic standing. Although tinnitus does not always co-occur with a significant hearing loss, tinnitus is more prevalent among individuals with impaired hearing than it is among a normal hearing population (Davis & Amr Rafaie, 2000). However, the correlation between tinnitus annoyance and hearing loss is low (Jakes et al., 1985). You might have a slight to moderate hearing loss, and still be very bothered by your tinnitus.

The results from several surveys indicate that tinnitus can affect anyone at any point in their life. Because males comprise a greater percentage of the veteran and occupationally noise-exposed populations, the trend among younger patient groups tend to indicate tinnitus is experienced more often by males than females. However, when the population sampled exceeds 60 years the gender effect decreases such that prevalence among elderly females is about equal to that of elderly males. The prevalence of tinnitus across other demographic categories shows no specific preference for ethnicity, religion, or socioeconomic status. It is clear that tinnitus is an experience shared by millions, while at the same time it is an isolating and uniquely disturbing sensation. Others might not know you have tinnitus.

Many patients with tinnitus indicate that by increasing their understanding of its causes and its prevalence they can reduce its annoyance. The sufferer’s concept of tinnitus, its nature and its source, can facilitate a reasonable cognitive and behavioral approach to the important endeavor of coping with tinnitus. This distinguishes the tinnitus experience from hearing loss, or other auditory disorders. So, while it is clear that anyone can develop tinnitus, it may be as likely that individuals annoyed by tinnitus can develop, through understanding, novel coping and management strategies that reduce the amount of distress caused by tinnitus.

A priority of this book is to provide a variety of useful information about tinnitus. The following chapters are intended to provide a framework within which the reader can find information pertaining to specific tinnitus causes (physical and emotional), and related problems (such as sleep interruption).