Severity of Tinnitus — Statement by British Tinnitus Association (BTA)

[Candy]

• There is mixed evidence for the severity of tinnitus being directly related to its acoustic characteristics. Some studies show only small correlations between loudness and distress/handicap.

I'm curious about this statement as in their presentation the BTA stated that the volume has no bearing on the patient's distress. They even said they knew that sounded counter intuitive.

Have they changed their tune slightly? Mixed evidence... That's not how it was presented. Let's hope we can build on that...

 

[JohnAdams]

Have they changed their tune slightly?

Nice pun.

But seriously, how can loudness not be a factor in distress? From my own experience, loudness is the absolute determining factor in how bad it distresses me.

 

[JohnAdams]

The entire purpose of loud emergency sirens is to cause a level of distress and induce a sense of emergency. Gunshots, bombs, alarms, crying babies all of these things are loud and cause distress.

 

[Rb86]

John I agree. Perhaps the point they meant to make was that even mild tinnitus can be debilitating if the person has anxiety or depression combined with it.

My dad has tinnitus. Claims he's had it for 20 years and it just happened one day in his left ear. He keeps telling me I'll get over it and learn to deal with it. I've been struggling greatly.... I'm starting an antidepressant tonight which also is supposed to help sleep. When we went to see fireworks for the 4th of July, I offered ear plugs and he said "why would I want that?". Made it SO evident how much his is different than mine.

It really depends on the person.

 

[JohnAdams]

John I agree. Perhaps the point they meant to make was that even mild tinnitus can be debilitating if the person has anxiety or depression combined with it.

My dad has tinnitus. Claims he's had it for 20 years and it just happened one day in his left ear. He keeps telling me I'll get over it and learn to deal with it. I've been struggling greatly.... I'm starting an antidepressant tonight which also is supposed to help sleep. When we went to see fireworks for the 4th of July, I offered ear plugs and he said "why would I want that?". Made it SO evident how much his is different than mine.

It really depends on the person.

Yeah my mom told me shes had it since teenage years and I grew up shooting guns, water skiing and doing all kinds of loud shit with her and she never once mentioned it until I told her I had it. It's like the twighlight zone.

 

[Gman]

• There is mixed evidence for the severity of tinnitus being directly related to its acoustic characteristics. Some studies show only small correlations between loudness and distress/handicap.

I'm curious about this statement as in their presentation the BTA stated that the volume has no bearing on the patient's distress. They even said they knew that sounded counter intuitive.

Have they changed their tune slightly? Mixed evidence... That's not how it was presented. Let's hope we can build on that...

It means they don't know what they are talking about and don't care. They seem to be a waste of an organisation. These clowns consider CBT to be an adequate enough treatment for tinnitus and think habituation is good enough.

 

[Earing]

Corporate bootlickers.

 

[Earing]

Watch in 5 years when the real cures start coming out. They will jump on it like they were involved and partly invented it. Fuck them.

 

[Candy]

Don't get me wrong, there are lots of positive things they have done, it's just this severity belief I find hard to grasp, based on experience and people I know with tinnitus - 4 in total.