Psychotherapeutic interventions in Tinnitus

Abstract

Introduction

Tinnitus is defined as the subjective or objective perception of a hearing sensation in the absence of a corresponding external stimulus. It is a very common medical symptom, and some studies show that 5 to 15% of adults had tinnitus in life. It is a condition that could be chronic and for some patients could be very debilitating. Anxiety and depression are common findings in patients with tinnitus. Tinnitus can also interfere with sleep and concentration and affect the quality of life of patients. The heterogeneity of the etiology, pathophysiology and clinical features of tinnitus probably exacerbate the variability of response to treatment of the population and the decision on the best treatment option could be complex.

Objectives

The purpose of this study is try to understand how the psychotherapeutic interventions may be useful in the treatment of tinnitus.

Methods

Bibliographic research in Pubmed.

Results

Currently there are no available effective pharmacological treatments. In some cases, surgical interventions may be effective with respect to ear pathology, but not to tinnitus. Most studies show that psychological interventions are needed to reduce the distress and the impact caused by tinnitus in patients’ lives and the cognitive-behavioral therapy is the primary therapeutic intervention in chronic tinnitus.

Conclusion

Although cognitive-behavioral techniques demonstrated to be effective in the treatment of the distress and impact caused by tinnitus, little is known about the mechanisms by which this technique achieves this effect, therefore most authors suggest that further studies should be conducted in this area.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.