Mental Health Co-Morbidity and Sociodemographic Profile of Tinnitus Patients at a Tertiary Care Hospital : An Observational Cross-Sectional Study.

INTRODUCTION-Tinnitus is a condition in which a person experiences a constant buzzing, hissing, or ringing sound in their ears or head. It affects approximately 7-19% of the general population and can lead to psychiatric issues such as anxiety, depression, psychosis, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and more among tinnitus patients. AIM AND OBJECTIVE-To assess the sociodemographic profile and psychiatric manifestations among patients with tinnitus at a tertiary care hospital. MATERIAL AND METHOD-The study was conducted on 121 patients suffering from tinnitus who developed psychiatric symptoms. Detailed sociodemographic characteristics and psychiatric assessment were recorded in a proforma specially designed for the study. The Tinnitus Handicap Inventory was used to categorize patients, and the ICD-10 was used to make psychiatric diagnoses. RESULTS- This study contained 121 cases of tinnitus that satisfied the inclusion criteria. In addition, the psychiatric disorders that included depression(40.5%), depression mixed with anxiety(24.8%), psychosis(5.8%), acute stress reaction(11.6%), adjustment disorder(8.3%), Somatization disorder(6.6%), Suicidality(2.5%), the study focused on the patient's age, sex, marital status, education, occupation, socioeconomic status, family type, residence, and religion. DISCUSSION- Psychiatric evaluations of patients suffering from tinnitus have revealed that acute and severe cases of tinnitus at a young age are more likely to have psychiatric co-morbidity. On the other hand, chronic and older patients tend to cope better with their illness. Depression is the most common co-morbidity associated with tinnitus, followed by depression mixed with anxiety, acute stress reaction, adjustment disorder, psychosis, and others. Effective counseling can immediately relieve anxiety and irritation. Because tinnitus is always associated with psychiatric co-morbidity, it is important for a psychiatrist to treat and counsel patients simultaneously.