Hearing loss is a prevalent condition that can be mitigated easily by using hearing aids and assistive listening devices. However, hearing loss often goes undiagnosed and unaddressed. This can lead to greater depression rates and feelings of solitude in those who have hearing loss.
It can also lead to a breakdown in personal and professional relationships, which itself will foster more feelings of depression and isolation. The key to ending that downward spiral is getting treatment for your hearing loss.
Hearing loss and depression
We’ve known that hearing loss can lead to feelings of separation and depression for a long time now. Adults older than 50 with neglected hearing loss often report feelings of depression and anxiety, according to one study. They were also more likely to refrain from social activities. A lot of them felt like people were getting mad at them and they didn’t know why. But when those people got hearing aids, they reported improvements in their social condition, 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. Individuals over 70 with self-reported hearing loss didn’t show a major difference in depression rates compared to people without hearing loss. But that still means that a large part of the population is not getting the help they need to improve their lives.
Mental health can be impacted by refusal to use hearing aids or to lack of awareness
It seems like it would be clear that you should get your hearing loss treated when you read reports like this. Maybe you think your hearing is okay. You might think people aren’t speaking clearly.
Another issue could be that you believe treating your hearing loss is too expensive or time consuming.
It’s important to get a hearing test if you think that you are being left out of conversations or are feeling anxious or depressed. We can talk about your options if we do find hearing loss. It could help you feel a lot better.
