Hearing loss is a common condition that can be alleviated easily by using hearing aids and assistive listening devices. But hearing loss is often neglected and untreated. For people with hearing loss, this can trigger feelings of social-separation and depression.
And these feelings of depression and isolation can be enhanced by the breakdown of professional and personal relationships which often accompany hearing loss. This is a vicious cycle that can be avoided, and treating your hearing loss is the key to ending that downward spiral.
Hearing loss and depression
We’ve been aware that hearing loss can produce feelings of solitude and depression for a long time now. One study of individuals with untreated hearing loss revealed that adults 50 years old and older were more likely to report symptoms of depression, along with indications of paranoia or anxiety. They were also more likely to steer clear of social activities. A lot of them had the feeling that people were getting mad at them and they weren’t sure why. But when those individuals got hearing aids, they reported improvements in their social situation, and other people in their life also noticed the difference.
Another study revealed that individuals between ages 18 and 70, reported an increased sense of depression if they had hearing loss of more than 25 dB. People over the age of 70 with self-reported hearing loss didn’t show a major difference in depression rates compared to people without hearing loss. But there are still a great many individuals who need help and aren’t getting it.
Mental health can be impacted by refusal to wear hearing aids or to lack of awareness
With reported results like those, it seems like a no-brainer that you would want to treat your hearing loss. Maybe you believe your hearing is fine. You might think people aren’t speaking clearly.
You might just think it’s too costly.
It’s imperative that anyone who has dealt with symptoms of depression or anxiety, or the feeling that they are being left out of interactions because people appear to be talking really quietly or mumbling too much, get their hearing tested. We can talk about your options if we do find hearing loss. That might be all you need to feel so much better.
