A Painful Loss: How Hearing Loss Can Lead to Depression

Hearing loss is a serious matter. It is far more than a few fuzzy sounds, or sometimes having trouble following conversations. Hearing loss affects every area of your life, both personal and social, and may be worse than you think.

When was the last time you heard birds chirping, or didn’t have to strain to understand what your grandkids were chattering about? Do you stay home rather than face your friends because you just can’t hear them? Not only does hearing loss make it difficult to hear, it also has a major impact on your relationships with family and friends, your happiness, and your mental health.

One of the first things that happen when you experience hearing loss is the feeling that people around you are mumbling, and you can’t quite make out the words. You’ll start to miss snippets of conversations, and while it might start out as a word here or there, soon you might miss whole sentences. Struggling to make sense of all these garbled sounds, you spend so much energy just trying to hear the words that you miss the meaning of what’s being said. Many people with untreated hearing loss also experience frustration because they do not want to constantly ask others to repeat themselves. This could lead to feeling isolated in social settings.

Not being able to communicate easily with the people around you is a very isolating experience. Have you ever traveled to a country where no one speaks your language, and felt disconnected from the people around you? This is what it feels like for someone with untreated hearing loss. If every conversation with your loved ones is a struggle, you begin to feel cut off from the world around you.

When a person has hearing loss and is struggling to understand conversations, it comes as no surprise that relationships suffer. Communicating with family and friends becomes difficult. You’re doing your best to understand your spouse, but when you have to ask them to repeat themselves four times, everyone gets frustrated. With hearing loss, it’s easy to feel like you’re the problem, and you stop communicating effectively.

Have you ever missed out on a social event because of your hearing loss? You know it’s hard to have a conversation with all that background noise, and too many conversations happening at once makes your head spin. You feel embarrassed that you can’t follow the conversations, so you avoid going out. Choosing to stay home might help you side step an uncomfortable situation, but with your social life suffering, and less meaningful interactions with friends and loved ones, it’s no wonder your mental health starts to decline.

For those with untreated hearing loss, the slippery slope towards depression can be invisible until it’s too late. Hearing loss happens gradually, so you might not realize how bad your hearing has become. But with your hearing far from perfect, you begin to feel isolated, place strain on your relationships, and lose your social support. Coping with feelings of incompetence, you struggle with self-worth, and think no one else understands what you’re going through. When you understand how hearing loss affects you, it’s little wonder that hearing loss can lead to depression!

In fact, a study conducted by the National Council on the Aging (NCOA) shows that untreated hearing loss has some major repercussions, and it “debunks the myth that untreated hearing loss in older persons is a harmless condition,” says James Firman from NCOA. Seniors with untreated hearing loss has much higher rates of anxiety, paranoia, and depression, and reduced social interactions and social support.

Don’t despair. There is a solution. Higher rates of depression were seen only in those with untreated hearing loss. Hearing aid wearers have normal hearing and can live their lives without the stress of struggling to hear. Not only do hearing aids restore your hearing, they will impact your mental health. When you can participate in the conversations happening around you and can easily communicate with family and friends, you’ll be happier. With clear hearing you can get back to attending the social gatherings you love, and continue cultivating the friendships that bring meaning and joy to your life.

If you have untreated hearing loss, don’t wait. Many American’s will wait years to get fitted for hearing aids, and don’t realize they risk their mental health! Don’t take that gamble. Visit us at one of our My Hearing Center locations today to talk about treatment options, and enjoy everything life has to offer.