Assistive listening devices and hearing aids can be utilized to treat the common condition of hearing loss. However, hearing loss frequently goes undiagnosed and unaddressed. This can lead to greater depression rates and feelings of separation in those who have hearing loss.
And these feelings of depression and separation can be enhanced by the breakdown of professional and personal relationships which often come with hearing loss. This is a vicious cycle that can be avoided, and treating your hearing loss is the solution to ending that downward spiral.
Hearing loss and its connection to depression
We’ve known that hearing loss can lead to feelings of solitude and depression for a long time now. Adults older than 50 with untreated hearing loss frequently describe feelings of depression and anxiety, according to one study. They also reported being less socially involved. A lot of them had the feeling that people were getting angry at them and they didn’t know why. But when those people got hearing aids, they reported improvements in their social condition, and others in their life also noticed the difference.
For individuals with hearing loss of more than 25 decibels, who were between 18 and 70 years old, depression was more common. Individuals over the age of 70 with self-reported hearing loss did not 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 require to improve their lives.
Mental health can be impacted by refusal to wear hearing aids or to lack of awareness
It seems as if it would be obvious that you should get your hearing loss treated when you read reports like this. Perhaps you simply don’t think your hearing is that bad. You think that people are mumbling.
You might just think it’s too costly.
It’s imperative that anybody who has experienced symptoms of depression or anxiety, or the sense that they are being left out of interactions because people appear to be talking too quietly or mumbling a lot, get their hearing checked. We can discuss your options if we do find hearing loss. It could help you feel a lot better.
