Parental Mental Illness May Be Associated With Suicide In Adults With Tinnitus

Patients who suffer from ringing in the ears (tinnitus) and sensitivity to loud noise could be at heightened risk for suicidal and self-harm thoughts because of their childhood history of parental mental illness. A new study, published in the American Journal of Audiology, is reportedly the first to examine the relationship between parental mental illness such as anxiety, depression, and anger in childhood and the risk of suicidal and self-harm ideations in adults who suffer from these debilitating hearing disorders. Researchers from Florida Atlantic University (US), the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford (UK) , and the Lech-Mangfall-Hospital Agatharied in Hausham (Germany), inform clinicians who treat patients with tinnitus and hyperacusis to consider the patients’ parental mental health illnesses and screen for suicidal and self-harm ideations, especially in those who also suffer from depression. Results of the study revealed that among patients seeking help for their tinnitus and hyperacusis, poor parental mental health was associated with the risk of suicidal and self-harm ideations across the life span. The two variables associated with the risk of suicidal and self-harm ideations were patients’ childhood history of parental mental illness and their current depression level.