Hostname: page-component-7b9c58cd5d-f9bf7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-03-14T23:07:56.556Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Hearing loss and psychiatric disorders: a review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2018

Dan G. Blazer  and
Debara L. Tucci
Dan G. Blazer*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710 Box 3003, USA
Debara L. Tucci
Affiliation:
Division of Head and Neck Surgery and Communication Sciences, Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710 Box 3003, USA
*
Author for correspondence: Dan G. Blazer, E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Hearing loss is one of the most common yet unrecognized impairments experienced by adults, especially as they age. Mental health investigators and practitioners require better understanding of hearing loss, its association with psychiatric disorders, and the treatment of these disorders in the presence of hearing loss as well as the treatment of hearing loss itself. In this review, the authors briefly explore the global burden of hearing loss. Next we provide an overview of the extant literature on hearing loss associated with cognitive impairment, depression, anxiety disorders, psychoses, and quality of life with attention focused on the strength of the association, possible mechanisms explaining the association, data on treatment options specific to these disorders, and future research opportunities for these disorders. Current approaches to the treatment of hearing loss are presented, including hearing aids, rehabilitation including psychotherapies, surgical procedures (specifically cochlear implants), and induction loops connected to telecoils. Finally, cutting edge research into the pathophysiology and potential biological treatments of hearing loss is described.

Keywords

Cognitive impairmenthearing health carehearing losspsychiatric disorderspsychoses
Type
Invited Review
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 49 , Issue 6 , April 2019 , pp. 891 - 897
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Armitage, CJ, Lees, D, Lewis, K and Munro, KJ (2017) Preliminary support for a brief psychological intervention to improve first-time hearing aid use among adults. British Journal of Health Psychology 22, 686–700.Google Scholar
Barker, F, Mackenzie, E, Elliott, L, Jones, S and de Lusignan, S (2016) Interventions to improve hearing aid use in adult auditory rehabilitation. Cochrane Database Systematic Review 2016(8), 1–144.Google Scholar
Bas, E, Van Der Water, TR and Lumbreras, V (2014) Adult human nasal mesenchymal like stem cells restore cochlear spiral ganglion neurons after experimental lesion. Stem Cells Development 23, 502–514.Google Scholar
Birmingham, NA, Hassan, BA and Price, SD (1999) Math1: an essential gene for the generation of inner ear hair cells. Science 284, 1837–1841.Google Scholar
Blazer, DG (2018) Hearing loss: the silent risk for psychiatric disorders in later life. Psychiatric Clinics of North America 41, 19–27.Google Scholar
Brewster, KK, Ciarleglio, A, Brown, PJ, Chen, C, Kim, H-O, Roose, SP, Golub, JS and Rutherford, BR (2018) Age-related hearing loss and it association with depression in laterl life. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 26, 788–796.Google Scholar
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2017) Vital Signs: Too Loud! For Too Long! Loud Noises Damage Hearing, February, 2017. Available at www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/HearingLoss (Accessed 8 August 2018).Google Scholar
Cheng, VJE, Gregg, EW, Saaddine, JB, Imperatore, G, Zhang, X and Albright, AL (2009) Three decade change in the prevalence of hearing impairment and its association with diabetes in the United States. Preventive Medicine 49, 360–364.Google Scholar
Chien, W and Lin, FR (2012) Prevalence of hearing aid use among older adults in the United States. Archives of Internal Medicine 172, 292–293.Google Scholar
Chisolm, T and Arnold, M (2012) Evidence about the effectiveness of aural rehabilitation programs for adults. In Wong, L and Hickson, L (eds), Evidence-based Practice in Audiology: Evaluating Interventions for Children and Adults with Hearing Impairment. San Diego: Plural Publishing, pp. 237–266.Google Scholar
Chung, SD, Hung, SH, Lin, HC and Sheu, JJ (2015) Association between sudden sensorineural hearing loss and anxiety disorder: a population-based study. European Archives of Otorhinolaryngology 272, 2673–2678.Google Scholar
Cole, MG, Dowson, L, Dendukuri, N and Belzile, E (2002) The prevalence and phenomenology of auditory hallucinations among elderly subjects attending an audiology clinic. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 17, 444–452.Google Scholar
Contrera, KJ, Betz, J, Deal, J, Choi, JS, Ayonayon, HN, Harris, T, Helzner, E, Martin, KR, Mehta, K, Pratt, S, Rubin, SM, Satterfield, S, Yaffe, K, Simonsick, EM, Lin, FR and Health ABC Study (2016) Association of hearing impairment and anxiety in older adults. Journal of Aging and Health 29, 172–184.Google Scholar
Cosh, S, von Hanno, T, Helmer, C, Bertelsen, G, Delcourt, C, Schirmer, H and SENSE-Cog Group (2018) The association amongst visual, hearing, and dual sensory loss with depression and anxiety over 6 years: the Tromsø Study. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 33, 598–605.Google Scholar
Cruickshanks, KJ, Wiley, TL, Tweed, TS, Klein, BE, Klein, R, Chappell, R, Nondahl, M and Dalton, DS (2003) The 5-year incidence and progression of hearing loss: the Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study. Archives of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery 129, 1041–1046.Google Scholar
Cruz, OL, Kasse, CA, Sanchez, M, Barbosa, F and Barros, FA (2004) Serotonin reuptake inhibitors in auditory processing disorders in elderly patients: preliminary results. The Laryngoscope 114, 1656–1659.Google Scholar
Dalton, DS, Cruickshanks, KJ, Klein, BE, Klein, R, Wiley, TL and Nondahl, DM (2003) The impact of hearing loss on quality of life in older adults. The Gerontologist 43, 661–668.Google Scholar
Davies, HR, Cadar, D, Herbert, A, Orrell, M and Steptoe, AJ (2016) Hearing impairment and incident dementia: findings from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 65, 2074–2081.Google Scholar
Dawes, P, Emsley, R, Cruickshanks, KJ, Moore, DR, Fortnum, H, Edmondson-Jones, M, McCormack, A and Munro, KJ (2015) Hearing loss and cognition: the role of hearing aids, social isolation and depression. PLoS ONE 10, e0119616.Google Scholar
Deal, JA, Albert, MS, Arnold, M, Bangdiwala, SI, Chisolm, T, Davis, S, Eddins, A, Glynn, NW, Goman, AM, Minotti, M, Mosley, T, Rebok, GW, Reed, N, Rodgers, E, Sanchez, V, Sharrett, AR, Coresh, J and Lin, FR (2017) A randomized feasibility pilot trial of hearing treatment for reducing cognitive decline: results from the Aging and Cognitive Health Evaluation in Elders Pilot Study. Alzheimers Dementia 3, 410–415.Google Scholar
Food and Drug Administration (2003) Red flag conditions. Available at https://ihsinfo.org/IhsV2/hearing_professional/2003/010_January-February/030_FDA_Red_Flags.cfm (Accessed 26 July 2018).Google Scholar
Food and Drug Administration (2007) FDA announces revisions to labels for Cialis, Levitra and Viagra. Potential risk of sudden hearing loss with ED drugs to be displayed more prominently. Available at http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/2007/ucm109012.htm (Accessed 26 July 2018).Google Scholar
Gevonden, M, Booij, J, van den Brink, W, Heijtel, D, van Os, J and Selten, JP (2014) Increased release of dopamine in the striata of young adults with hearing impairment and its relevance for the social defeat hypothesis of schizophrenia. JAMA Psychiatry 71, 1364–1372.Google Scholar
Han, JH, Lee, HJ, Jung, J and Park, EC (2018) Effects of self-reported hearing or vision impairment on depressive symptoms: a population-based longitudinal study. Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences. Published online February 8. 1–13. Available at https://doi.org/10.1017/S2045796018000045 (Accessed 8 August 2018).Google Scholar
Hoffman, HJ, Dobie, RA, Losonczy, KG, Themann, CL and Flamme, G (2017) Declining prevalence of hearing loss in US adults aged 20 to 69 years. JAMA Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery 143, 274–285.Google Scholar
Karawani, H, Jenkins, K and Anderson, S (2018) Restoration of sensory input may improve cognitive and neural function. Neuropsychologia 114, 203–213.Google Scholar
Kay, DWK and Roth, R (1961) Environmental and hereditary factors in the schizophrenias of old age (‘late paraphrenia’) and their bearing on the general problem of causation in schizophrenia. Journal of Mental Science 107, 649–686.Google Scholar
Lin, F, Yaffe, K, Xia, J, Xue, Q-L, Harris, TB and Purchase-Helzner, E (2013) Hearing loss and cognitive decline in older adults. JAMA Internal Medicine 173, 293–299.Google Scholar
Linszen, MM, Brouwer, RM, Heringa, SM and Sommer, IE (2016) Increased risk of psychosis in patients with hearing impairment: review and meta-analyses. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Review 62, 1–20.Google Scholar
Loughrey, DG, Kelly, ME, Kelley, GA, Brennan, S and Lawlor, BA (2018) Association of age-related rearing loss with cognitive function, cognitive impairment, and cementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery 144, 115–126.Google Scholar
McCormack, A and Fortnum, H (2013) Why do people fitted with hearing aids not wear them? International Journal of Audiology 52, 360–368.Google Scholar
National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (2016) Hearing Health Care for Adults: Priorities for Improving Access and Affordability. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.Google Scholar
Nguyen, MF, Bonnefoy, M, Adrait, A, Gueugnon, M, Petitot, C, Collet, L, Roux, A, Perrot, X and ADPHA study group (2017) Efficacy of hearing aids on the cognitive status of patients with Alzheimer's disease and hearing loss: a multicenter controlled randomized trial. Journal of Alzheimers Disease 58, 123–137.Google Scholar
Nirmalasari, O, Mamo, SK, Nieman, CL, Simpson, A, Zimmerman, J, Nowrangi, MA, Lin, FR and Oh, ES (2017) Age-related hearing loss in older adults with cognitive impairment. International Psychogeriatrics 29, 115–112.Google Scholar
Nordvik, Ø, Laugen Heggdal, PO, Brännström, J, Vassbotn, F, Aarstad, AK and Aarstad, HJ (2018) Generic quality of life in persons with hearing loss: a systematic literature review. BMC Ear Nose and Throat Disorders 18, 1.Google Scholar
Park, SY, Kim, MJ, Kim, HL, Kim, DK, Yeo, SW and Park, SN (2018) Cognitive decline and increased hippocampal p-tau expression in mice with hearing loss. Behavioural Brain Research 342, 19–26.Google Scholar
Patel, R and McKinnon, BJ (2018) Hearing loss in the elderly. Clinics in Geriatric Medicine 34, 163–174.Google Scholar
Polanski, JF, Soares, AD, Pereira, LD and Laercio de Mendonça Cruz, O (2017) The effect of citalopram versus a placebo on central auditory processing in the elderly. Otology and Neurotology 38, 1233–1239.Google Scholar
Post, F (1966) Persistent Persecutory States of the Elderly. Oxford: Pergamon Press.Google Scholar
Qian, ZJ, Wattamwar, K, Caruana, FF, Otter, J, Leskowitz, MJ, Siedlecki, B, Spitzer, JB and Lalwani, AK (2016) Hearing aid use is associated with better Mini-mental state exam performance. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 24, 694–702.Google Scholar
Rutherford, BR, Brewster, K, Golub, JS, Kim, AH and Roose, SP (2018) Sensation and psychiatry: linking age-related hearing loss to late-life depression and cognitive decline. American Journal of Psychiatry 175, 215–224.Google Scholar
Scinicariello, F, Przybyla, J, Carroll, Y, Eichwald, J, Decker, J and Breysse, PN (2018) Age and sex differences in hearing loss association with depressive symptoms: analyses of NHANES 2011–2012. Psychological Medicine 18, 1–7. [Epub ahead of print].Google Scholar
Shankar, A, Hamer, M, McMunn, A and Steptoe, A (2013) Social isolation and loneliness: relationships with cognitive function during 4 years of follow-up in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Psychosomaticic Medicine 75, 161–170.Google Scholar
Shi, F, Kempfle, JS and Edge, AS (2012) Wnt-responsive Lgr5-expressing stem cells are hair progenitors in the cochlea. Journal of Neuroscience 32, 9639–9648.Google Scholar
Strom, K (2014) HR 2013 hearing aid dispenser survey. Available at http://www.hearingreview.com/2014/04/hr-2013-hearing-aid-dispenser-survey-dispensing-age-internet-big-box-retailers-comparison-present-past-key-business-indicators-dispensing-offices/ (Accessed 28 July 2018).Google Scholar
Su, YT, Meng, XX, Zhang, X, Guo, YB, Zhang, HJ, Cheng, YP, Xie, XP, Chang, YM and Bao, JX (2017) Doxepin mitigates noise-induced neuronal damage in primary auditory cortex of mice via suppression of acid sphingomyelinase/ceramide pathway. Anatomical Record (Hoboken) 30, 2220–2232.Google Scholar
Thomas, A (1984) Acquired Hearing Loss: Psychological and Social Implications. Orlando: Academic Press.Google Scholar
van der Werf, M, van Boxtel, M, Verhey, F, Jolles, J, Thewissen, V and van Os, J (2007) Mild hearing impairment and psychotic experiences in a normal aging population. Schizophrenic Research 94, 180–186.Google Scholar
van der Werf, M, van Winkel, R, van Boxtel, M and van Os, J (2010) Evidence that the impact of hearing impairment on psychosis risk is moderated by the level of complexity of the social environment. Schizophrenia Research 122, 193–198.Google Scholar
Ware, JE Jr and Sherbourne, CD (1992) The MOS 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36): I. Conceptual framework and item selection. Medical Care 30, 473–483.Google Scholar
Warren, E and Grassley, C (2017) Over-the-counter hearing aids: the path forward. JAMA Internal Medicine 177, 609–610.Google Scholar
Waters, F, Blom, JD, Jardri, R, Hugdahl, K and Sommer, IEC (2018) Auditory hallucinations, not necessarily a hallmark of psychotic disorder. Psychological Medicine 48, 529–536.Google Scholar
Wayne, RV and Johnsrude, IS (2015) A review of causal mechanisms underlying the link between age-related hearing loss and cognitive decline. Ageing Research Reviews 23, 154–166.Google Scholar
Williams, KA, Falkum, E and Martinsen, EW (2015) A cognitive therapy program for hearing-impaired employees suffering from mental distress. International Journal of Audiology 54, 227–233.Google Scholar
Wilson, BS, Tucci, DL, Merson, MH and O'Donoghue, GM (2017) Global hearing health care: new findings and perspectives. The Lancet 390, 2503–2515.Google Scholar