Having hearing loss puts you at a greater risk for depression. According to research, approximately 11.4% of adults with a self-reported hearing problem said they had moderate to severe depression compared to 5.9% of those without hearing loss.1
Hearing loss also increases your risk of dementia, which can contribute to depression—experts believe that up to 40% of Alzheimer’s patients have depression.2 During June’s Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month, let’s take a closer look at the link between hearing loss and depression.
How Hearing Loss Is Linked to Depression
If you have untreated hearing loss, you may have difficulty following conversations and communicating. Even strong relationships, such as those with your spouse, can become strained.
People with untreated hearing loss often cope by choosing to self-isolate, leading to depression.
Common signs of depression include:
- Feeling tired and having little energy
- Poor appetite or overeating
- Loss of interest in things you once enjoyed
- Frustration or irritability caused by not being able to understand others
- Voicing feelings of sadness, emptiness, worthlessness, or an inability to feel anything
Hear Better to Feel Better
Treating hearing loss with hearing devices can help your mental well-being. For example, nearly 35% of patients in one study who wore hearing devices reported improvements in their mental health, and 52% said their social lives improved.3 In another study, every single patient who wore hearing devices showed solid improvements in psychosocial and cognitive conditions in just three months.4
If you or someone you know has depression and untreated hearing loss, you don’t have to suffer in silence. Our caring team is here to get you back to hearing and feeling your best—give us a call Hearing Focused at (262) 679–8888. We offer thorough audiological testing, new hearing aids, hearing protection, and counseling for total patient satisfaction.
1 National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. (2014). NIDCD researchers find strong link between hearing loss and depression in adults. https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/news/2014/nidcd-researchers-find-strong-link-between-hearing-loss-and-depression-adults
2 Alzheimer’s Association. (n.d.). Depression. https://www.alz.org/help-support/caregiving/stages-behaviors/depression#:~:text=Experts%20estimate%20that%20up%20to,Apathy
3 Acar, B, et al. (2011, June). Effects of hearing aids on cognitive functions and depressive signs in elderly people. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20472312/
4 Kochkin, Sergei. (2011). MarkeTrak VIII Patients Report Improved Quality of Life With Hearing Aid Usage. The Hearing Journal. 64. 25-26,28,30,32. 10.1097/01.HJ.0000399150.30374.45.