Improved therapy alleviated tinnitus symptoms according to the study

How can people with tinnitus be helped?

Tinnitus is a disease that causes sufferers to constantly hear sounds, without really existing external noise sources. Researchers have now found that a special kind of treatment can help people with tinnitus to better deal with their problem.

The researchers from University College London and the University of Bath found in their recent collaborative study that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy can dramatically reduce the impact of tinnitus. The physicians published the results of their study in the English-language journal "Ear and Hearing".

Patients with chronic tinnitus can help cognitive-behavioral therapy to better deal with the sounds in their ears. (Image: olly / fotolia.com)

What is tinnitus??

When people hear a constant noise or whistling in their ear, these are typical effects of tinnitus. The special thing about this disease is that there is no real external sound source from which the sounds could come. The sounds of tinnitus may be permanent or only partial. Affected are either only one ear or both ears. Tinnitus can become a major burden for those affected, leading to emotional stress, insomnia, difficulty concentrating and hearing problems.

There is no permanent cure for tinnitus

The causes of tinnitus are still unknown. The British Tinnitus Association (BTA) explains to Tinnits that the uncomfortable condition develops from an impairment, which can be either mental or physical, but which has nothing to do with hearing. There is no real cure for tinnitus, but the experts say the symptoms can be alleviated with psychological techniques. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) can help those affected far more effectively than the previously used treatments for relaxation, says study author Dr. Laurence McKenna from University College London

75 subjects were examined for the study

The experts compared mindfulness-based cognitive therapy to relaxation therapy, a traditional treatment for people with chronic tinnitus. So they wanted to determine which type of treatment is the better option for those affected. For this they examined a total of 75 subjects. The study found that both treatments resulted in a reduction in the severity of tinnitus, mental distress, anxiety and depression among patients. The results also showed a clear difference between the two treatments. MBCT treatment resulted in a significantly greater reduction in tinnitus severity, and this improvement took longer, study author Dr. Liz Marks from the University of Bath. 182 patients who routinely received MBCT showed a similar degree of improvement.

Affected people must learn to accept tinnitis

Relaxation therapy is designed to help patients reduce stress. The MBCT does not try to suppress the perceived sounds, instead people should learn to accept their tinnitus. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy is not designed to alter or eliminate the sound of tinnitus, but therapy can make the sounds less intrusive. This goes to a point where noises are no longer a problem for sufferers.

Further research is needed

The results of this research are extremely encouraging, especially for people with chronic tinnitus, who believe that topical treatments do not work for them. Further research will now find out whether mindfulness-based cognitive therapy can also be used to treat tinnitus-related insomnia. (As)