What are the Emotional Impacts of Untreated Hearing Loss?

Although we typically think of hearing loss as a physical condition, like many illnesses, it can lead to emotional fallout. More than 85 million Americans suffer from some degree of hearing loss, meaning that many people in our society have to cope with their condition daily. The following are some of the emotional impacts of untreated hearing loss.

Can lead to low self-worth

Hearing loss not only affects your ability to hear the world around you, but it can also have profound knock-on effects on your sense of self-worth. People with hearing loss may suffer a fall in income, which, in turn, can affect how much they value their lives.

Can lead to depression

People with hearing loss can feel sad about their condition. Persistent sadness can develop into depression, and a person may be unwilling to get out of bed or may not see the point in life. One of the common causes of depression among people with hearing loss is an avoidance of social interactions. Hearing loss makes it challenging to carry out a conversation, which is why many people with hearing loss steer clear of social gatherings. It’s just too difficult to communicate with people when you can only pick up fragments of the conversation.

Can affect one’s ability to articulate feelings

Both adults and children can struggle to articulate their feelings, but the problem can be even worse for young people who feel that they can’t be heard. Hearing loss can be frustrating for family members who want to tell other family members how they feel about them but can’t.

Can induce feelings of shame and guilt

Some people can interpret hearing loss as a shameful condition. Because of their shame, they try to hide the fact that they can’t hear which may lead to withdrawal and isolation from others. Others may feel guilty because their hearing loss prevents them from taking on specific responsibilities or being able to interact with people in the way that they’d like. People may feel guilty if they cannot communicate effectively with family members and friends.

Can make a person feel anxious and suspicious

If you cannot hear what’s being said, your brain will naturally try to fill in the gaps. Many people fill in these gaps in a healthy way, but some people can become anxious or suspicious by imagining that people are saying things that they are not. The good news is that you don’t have to suffer in silence. Many people can experience substantial improvements in their hearing by visiting their audiologist. An audiologist can help choose the right hearing aid for you, fit it, and then assist with managing your hearing aid regularly. Once you have a hearing aid, you’ll be much better equipped to listen to conversations, enjoy music, and get involved in meetings at work. Hearing aids can dramatically improve the quality of your life. Often, the improvement is so good; you forget that you have hearing loss at all.