In recent years, it has become clear that the use of high quality private hearing aids helps to not only counteract the effects of hearing loss, but also reduces several conditions that are connected to a loss of hearing over the years.
Most recently, a study published in Nature Mental Health found that the use of hearing aids for at least four hours each day significantly reduced the symptoms of depression in older adults who are hard of hearing.
Hearing is connected to both physical and mental health in a variety of different ways, and prescribed, fitted, effective hearing aids can help with depression if one of the causes is related to hearing loss.
Here are some ways in which hearing and depression are connected.
Hearing loss does not always manifest as deafness or a low volume for audio, but can take the form of a lower social battery or less patience than a person otherwise would have, both of which being the result of a mental exhaustion caused by hearing loss.
Hearing has multiple dimensions; it does not only take place in the ear but also in the auditory cortex, and so in some cases hearing loss manifests as a difficulty in picking up quiet speech patterns or conversations in noisy surroundings.
The process of understanding can take more energy, which can make conversations more tiring, and the process of struggling to understand can be frustrating, leading to conversations being less enjoyable than they otherwise should be.
These issues can often be fixed with hearing aids, but part of the treatment is understanding when it is necessary.
By reducing the mental fatigue which comes from conversations, people have more energy, and that energy can bring with it positivity.
A partly related phenomenon to this is a subconscious social isolation effect that can occur due to untreated hearing loss.
As the connection between hearing loss and social exhaustion is not always clear, it can lead to people wanting to limit their social interactions due to the negative feelings surrounding them, retreating to other forms of communication or isolation.
This can also occur in social situations where people feel like they are alone even when amongst a crowd of family and friends.
In some cases it can be the result of difficulty picking up and retaining the flow of a conversation, leading to someone remaining quiet or interjecting at inopportune moments, or people subconsciously believing they are being talked about because of their difficulties following the topic of discussion.
The causes of these feelings are complex, and are not always associated with hearing loss, but can in some cases be the result of depression caused or exacerbated by hearing difficulties.
Hearing aids can help by avoiding the connection between exhaustion and social situations which can lead to self-isolation.
On a related note, it can lead to difficulties in meeting new people, something that is of increasing importance for people as they age due to the positive effects of social interaction on mental health and in reducing the risk of degenerative conditions such as dementia.
Hearing loss can lead to a subconscious aversion to meeting new people, out of a fear that they might struggle to hear or be heard, possibly leaving a less than positive first impression in the process.
People are averse to either repeating themselves or asking others to repeat themselves, leading to a cycle of frustration that leads to conversations shutting down.
All of these issues can be linked to hearing loss, even if they often appear separate or caused by different environmental factors. If an audiologist ascertains that hearing loss is the cause, then hearing aids can and often are the solution.
In some cases, the social and mental health effects of hearing loss are not recognised quickly because the causes can appear removed from the effects.
Hearing loss is often perceived in pop culture as having very different symptoms and effects than it often does, and the mental health factors are not as commonly discussed as they should be in order for hearing aids to reach everyone.
In many cases, people will recognise hearing loss after they start using hearing aids to correct it, with the world they can hear with assistance having a dramatic positive effect on mental health, particularly if they are worn as directed for as long as possible.
This, in combination with therapeutic interventions, can lead to the effects of depression being reduced if not reversed entirely.
