(Hearing Loss) x (Isolation) = Depression

Wednesday, January 06, 2016

GoLocalWorcester Health Team and Beltone

Independence is a good indicator of how happy we are – what quality of life we have.

This is equally true for 11-year olds and 75-year olds, but for the older American that independence may be tied to how he or she hears, or does not hear the world around them.

The link between hearing loss and mental health is inextricably linked. With most people waiting six years or more from the time they notice a hearing loss, to the time they have it tested, much damage can be done to the person’s overall health.

(Hearing Loss) x (Isolation) = Depression

The scenarios are too often replayed – invites to golf, card games, or coffee and shopping trips are less and less because hearing loss becomes a communication issue. The decrease in human contact and the quality of relationships creates greater isolation, and the isolation then drives depression.

According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), uncorrected hearing impairment can lead to social isolation, cognitive decline and decreased mobility. Hearing loss is linked to feelings of depression, anxiety, frustration, social isolation and fatigue, and is often ignored in a medical exam. These are all risk factors for clinical decline in mental health, and the development of dementia, in particular. Untreated hearing loss causes people to become increasingly introverted and less outgoing as a response to their hearing loss.

Of the hearing impaired, more than 50% of those who DO NOT wear hearing devices will self-report feeling depressed or sad.

“Our ears function for us to hear, but understanding happens in the brain. Over time as you lose your hearing, your brain slowly loses the ability to recognize sounds and certain words. This is why you can hear but sometimes misunderstand.” The Archives of Neurology identifies hearing loss as one of the risk factors for dementia, as progressive sensory loss made the participants more prone to develop cognitive decline.

The Brain is a Machine

One Harvard study on hearing loss and mental health noted that by making the brain work overtime to process the signals it is getting from the ears, hearing loss pulls away energy from the “thinking” parts of the brain. These changes come about slowly, over time. What may be seen as beginning dementia or clinical depression can have its roots, if not causes, in hearing loss.

Traditional mental illness treatment such as individual and/or group counseling, support groups, even prescription therapy may have little impact on someone whose issues are rooted in hearing loss. And, in the elderly, those who classify with depression spend significantly more dollars in nearly every health care cost category, including home health care, skilled nursing facility costs, outpatient care, inpatient care, physician charges, and medical equipment.

There is hope. The government’s Healthy People 2020 has called for earlier diagnostic and screening tests, and better funding for hearing assist devices, recognizing hearing as integral to one’s mental and physical health.

If we know that as hearing loss becomes worse, so does depression, it would stand to reason that if we identify it earlier and treat it more effectively, then we can also prevent the decline of mental wellness.

Early hearing loss treatment may have an exponential impact on lowering the cost of mental health care, as well as the quality of life for millions of Americans as Americans age-up, and age-better, both mentally and physically.

This article is part of an ongoing content series written by GoLocal as part of a partnership with Beltone. It is a sponsored content series.