Untreated Hearing Loss Leads To Depression and Anxiety

Hearing loss is undertreated among adults, despite evidence that hearing aid technology can reduce depression and anxiety and improve cognitive functioning, according to a presentation at the American Psychological Association Annual Convention.

Commenting about the battle confronted by individuals with hearing damage, Therapy teacher, PhD and book create at Hope University in Michigan, Davis Myers stated, “Many hard-of-hearing people fight quietly using their unseen reading issues, pushing to remain attached to the planet around them, hesitant to find help”.

A study conducted on 2.304 people by The National Council on Aging unveiled the fact that those who would not use a hearing electronic apparatus were 50 percent more likely to experience depression in comparison to those who would use them. It was found that hearing aid wearers were more like to participate in social activities and only 20% of the people who might benefit from the treatment actually seek help.

The study also found out that using hearing aids can help lessen people’s chances of feeling lonely, anxious or sad and increase the chances of good cognitive functioning.

News study suggests that people who do not seer immediate help after developing hearing loss or ignore the problem without seeking any medical assistance can strain themselves enough to suffer depression.

Although a genetic condition caused him to start losing his hearing as a teenager, Myers did not get hearing aids until he was in his 40s.

Statistically speaking, the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) estimates that not even 30 percent (30%), or one in three (1 in 3), hearing loss patients with the age of 70 or over have ever tried using a hearing aid. It would roll down into various other problems due to isolation, such as anger, frustration, anxiety and set the wheels in motion for the onset of dementia. Like many hard of hearing people, he resisted hearing technology. But they may also be in denial of their condition, have too much vanity, or simply be unaware of how much the condition is affecting their hearing.

Loop technology acts like Wi-Fi for hearing aids by transmitting sound signals directly into an aid (or cochlear implant), where it is received by a device called a telecoil.

“Making public spaces directly hearing aid accessible is psychologically important for people with hearing loss”, Myers said. Popular in Great Britain and Scandinavia, the hearing loop system works especially well in public spaces with reverberant sound, such as train stations, and in places with lots of background noise, such as convention centers.

Loop technology is but one way that those who are hard of hearing can be assisted with cognition-related challenges. He has also supported Hearing Loss Association of America efforts to advocate for hundreds of installations in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Minnesota, New Mexico, Utah, Washington state and even in New York City taxicabs, as well as the chambers of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Supreme Court.