British Tinnitus Association

The British Tinnitus Association - registered charity no: 1011145

Younger People and Tinnitus

David M Baguley, Audiological Scientist Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge

Don McFerran FRCS, Consultant Otolaryngologist Essex County Hospital, Colchester

Why consider younger people with tinnitus separately from people with tinnitus in general?

There are several reasons why this is sensible. The first is that the negative and unhelpful messages about tinnitus such as ‘tinnitus is incurable’ and ‘tinnitus is devastating’ are especially worrying for younger people, some of whom may be led to believe that they face a ruined life ahead of them.

The second is that some younger people with tinnitus have lifestyle expectations, such as going to clubs and concerts, or working with sound, which need careful consideration. A younger person may not yet have been in a long-term relationship, and so may not have the support that is very important with tinnitus, especially in the early days.

Have tinnitus sufferers caused their own tinnitus?

Some younger people associate their tinnitus with something that they have done which they now bitterly regret. Younger people not infrequently feel events such as exposing themselves to loud noise or taking drugs have caused their tinnitus.

Sometimes the link between the event and the onset of the tinnitus is strong, other times less so. In any case, before that person can begin to deal with their tinnitus, they have to move on and sometimes that means forgiving themselves. Everyone does stupid and mistaken things at times, but a lifetime of regret about tinnitus is unhelpful.

Do people with tinnitus have to avoid all loud noise?

Traditionally younger people with tinnitus have been told that they must avoid all exposure to noise. This is very unhelpful advice, as almost all younger people wish to incorporate noise into their lives.

This includes such diverse activities as wearing a personal stereo, going to parties or clubs and playing musical instruments. Trying to avoid these pleasurable situations can make the tinnitus sufferer even more resentful to the tinnitus. In addition, a quest for silence often paradoxically heightens the awareness of the tinnitus.

Fortunately, people with tinnitus (and those without tinnitus too!) can minimise noise damage to the ears by following a few common sense pieces of advice. Firstly, noise has its effects not only from its intensity but also from the duration of exposure. Therefore, breaking the exposure up into shorter segments helps: one should try and ensure that 10 minutes of every hour in a club or at a concert is spent with as little noise as possible. It is possible to purchase musician’s earplugs (available from Audiologists), which remove enough of the sound to make it safe, but let through enough for it to still be exciting. Lastly, major noise exposure should be avoided when intoxicated, as it is much less easy to keep track of the noise level when not on an even keel.

What hope is there for a younger person with tinnitus?

In short, plenty! Younger people can often take on the concepts used in modern tinnitus therapy with ease, and find the ideas involved to be common sense. Younger people have had less time to develop erroneous ideas about their tinnitus and are therefore often easier to treat than older people. The habituation process, which is the cornerstone of tinnitus therapy, relies upon the ability of the brain to change in how it responds to stimuli, and there is evidence that these changes happen more rapidly and easily in younger people. The important thing is to seek a tinnitus therapist who has insight into the issues facing a younger person with tinnitus and can modify the therapy according to the individual’s needs.

Is a tinnitus therapist essential?

Most tinnitus sufferers, whatever their age, will try and find more information from books, computers and other people. Unfortunately, even quite modern medical textbooks often have little useful information regarding tinnitus. In theory the internet should be very helpful for people with tinnitus. There are certainly some very good and informative websites available but equally some that are very poor and some that promote very dubious concepts. Anyone who does browse the internet should keep an open but cautious mind!

Finally, most therapists feel that the complex and deeply personal issues involved in tinnitus are best dealt with on a face to face basis, and this is especially true for younger people.

Keeping in touch

All members of the British Tinnitus Association receive the quarterly journal Quiet. In each issue there is information devoted to younger members featuring personal stories, tips for coping and reports on meetings etc, if you would like more information about joining the BTA so that you can receive Quiet please contact us.