The Link Between Hearing Loss and Depression

Untreated hearing loss can impact an individual's life in many different ways.  In fact, new information suggests a clear link between untreated hearing loss and multiple conditions including dementia and depression.  The Better Hearing Institute recently released a survey of these findings.  Highlights are detailed below.

• Research from The National Council on Aging shows that people aged 50 and older who had untreated hearing loss were more likely to report symptoms of depression.  The study also suggests that the severity of the symptoms increased in proportion to the degree of hearing loss.  
• The British Geriatrics Society published research showing that the risk of depressive symptoms grew by 80% among older people with hearing loss.
• A survey by Australian Hearing showed that over 60% of individuals with untreated hearing loss aged 18 or older exhibited signs of depression.

Research also points to why the link might exist and how to find potential solutions to these problems.  More on this in the next blog...

To read the report from The Better Hearing Institute, click here and download the report under the "2012 Mental Illness Awareness" heading.

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