PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE OF HELP-SEEKING AND NON-HELP-SEEKING TINNITUS PATIENTS

The psychological profile of tinnitus patients who sought treatment (H elp-Seeking, HS) was compared with that of patients who did not seek h elp (non-help-seeking, NHS) and with normal control subjects. Psycholo gical evaluations as well as hearing, tinnitus loudness, and tinnitus pitch were measured. Overall, the psychiatric symptomatology of HS (n = 50) was more severe with poorer effective coping abilities and exter nalization of locus of control than NHS (n = 50). However, the psychia tric symptomatology of the NHS was remarkably more severe than that in the normals (n = 73) and more like that in the HS even though they di d not turn to treatment. Tinnitus loudness was significantly lower in HS than in NHS subjects. The lower the tinnitus loudness, the higher t he psychiatric symptomatology. The trend towards subclinical abnormali ties in NHS indicates their vulnerability to pathology and this requir es the attention of the therapist in order to increase the patient's s elf-awareness and to suggest preventive coping strategies or relaxatio n techniques.