Coping with the psychological impact?

I've had Tinnitus since birth, and by now I have gotten used to the ringing in my ears. I cannot tell if it has gotten worse since I was a younger child, as I have gone years without noticing it. But this summer has brought in a particularly strong resurgence in my Tinnitus; I'm noticing it more than I ever have before, and not only is it interfering with my enjoyment of everyday life, it is having a very negative impact on my mental well-being. The worst part is how vulnerable and powerless it makes me feel; I know it's there, I know it shouldn't be there, but I can't change it. I can't make it go away just by willing it to go away, and that scares me. It's a glaring reminder that we aren't in control of our bodily functions. This has lead to an extreme increase in my depression. My question to you all is how can I cope with these mental effects?

 

Hi Ben sorry to hear that your going through a tough time now. Depression is one if not the toughest things associated with T. Have you gone and talked to your doctor about it? Maybe a good AD med will help you for the time being till you can feel better. I too have struggled its a emotional roller coaster and unless you have it people really don't understand the mental strain T causes. Hang in there man ... And keep posting this place has amazing people that can also help you.

 

You've been habituated all your life and you will again even if it does not go back down. You may have recently lost some hearing? Go get the ears tested but not for T.

 

You have my empathy for your suffering, Ben. But don't lose heart. You have known tinnitus all your life. You should be able to habituate to this new level of ringing better than some of us who had no prior knowledge that this mad level of ultra high pitch ringing can even exist without the ability to be turned off.

That was what I experienced one night out of the blue this ultra high pitch alien just showed up uninvited. What followed was absolute fear and depression when the sound didn't go away 7/24. Worse, severe hyperacusis soon joined in the horror show, turning all normal sound into glassy, piercingly hurtful sensation, as if my ears were being drilled all day. So I tried to wear ear plugs but the plugs blocked all masking outside sounds, leaving the ultra high pitch screaming T so unbearably harsh to bear. So there it was I was stuck between these two beasts. Every day was a long dark day of sufferings. Worst, relentless anxiety and panic attacks just overwhelmed me. Prior to T I suffered decades of anxiety/panic disorders. So T & H just opened the flood gate of hell of relentless anxiety and panic attacks. My tired and stressed out brain saw no way out of this repeated sufferings. I thought my world would soon end. I thought I never would recover from so much suffering.

But wait a minute. Never say never. Today I am living an absolutely enjoyable and abundant life. T has lost its tyranny over me. The brain has hardened to the same mad scream which used to cause me endless panic. Now I don't give a dime to what T does. Life is back to normal. So I encourage you to hang in there. It is normal to worry about the new condition a bit but don't worry. You won't feel this way forever. If you adopt a positive attitude, get some masking or alternative treatments like TRT, CBT etc., and give it time, you will just come out ok. If those of us who had never known T before it hit us and we can come out ok, believe that you will too. So take it easy and have hope for the future. Try read up all the success stories to give you that hope that you will be just fine too like others. Take care and may God bless your recovery.