이명은 흔하지만 원인을 확인하기 어렵고 치료 또한 정립되어 있지 않다. 환자 중 일부는 일생동안 지속되는 이명으로 우울증상, 수면곤란, 사회·심리적 어려움, 가족 내 갈등 등으로 고통을 받고 있다. 이명과 관련된 장해들이 불가역적이고 이과적 원인에서 기원하였다고 가정되어 왔지만, 많은 연구들은 이명 그 자체는 만성적이지만 이명과 관련된 다양한 장해들은 반드시 그렇지 않으며 부분적으로는 가역적인 정신과 장해일 가능성이 높다고 제안한다. 우울증이 동반될 때 이명에 대한 내성 감소로 강도가 증가되어 이차적인 증상들이 악화된다는 사실은 임상에서 특히 주의해야 할 부분이다. 치료에 있어서도 항우울제 투약 외에도 정서적인 문제를 반드시 다루고 필요하다면 인지-행동요법, 대인요법을 함께 사용하는 것이 바람직하다.

Tinnitus is a common symptom in the general population. Tinnitus is associated with hearing difficulties, effects on lifestyle, effects on general health, and emotional difficulties. As hearing threshold increases, there is an exponential increase in the number of tinnitus cases. However, the severity of the tinnitus does not show this clear correlation with hearing loss. There is only a slight correlation between tinnitus severity and duration, tonal quality, maskability, or number of sounds comprising the tinnitus. These suggest that severity of tinnitus is closely tied to tinnitus-related disability and that neither of these is determined by the auditory sensation alone. What appears to be irreversible disability of otologic origin may, in part, be reversible disability of psychiatric origin. Tinnitus disability is strongly associated with major depression and suggest that treatment of the concurrent affective illness may reduce disability due to tinnitus. The antidepressant may decreases depression, functional disability, and tinnitus loudness associated with severe chronic tinnitus. It is particularly important to appreciate the difficulties caused by tinnitus because counseling is the most generally applicable form of assistance that can be given at present, where or nor the patient is helped by drugs, tinnitus maskers or biofeedback.

Tinnitus is a common symptom in the general population. Tinnitus is associated with hearing difficulties, effects on lifestyle, effects on general health, and emotional difficulties. As hearing threshold increases, there is an exponential increase in the number of tinnitus cases. However, the severity of the tinnitus does not show this clear correlation with hearing loss. There is only a slight correlation between tinnitus severity and duration, tonal quality, maskability, or number of sounds comprising the tinnitus. These suggest that severity of tinnitus is closely tied to tinnitus-related disability and that neither of these is determined by the auditory sensation alone. What appears to be irreversible disability of otologic origin may, in part, be reversible disability of psychiatric origin. Tinnitus disability is strongly associated with major depression and suggest that treatment of the concurrent affective illness may reduce disability due to tinnitus. The antidepressant may decreases depression, functional disability, and tinnitus loudness associated with severe chronic tinnitus. It is particularly important to appreciate the difficulties caused by tinnitus because counseling is the most generally applicable form of assistance that can be given at present, where or nor the patient is helped by drugs, tinnitus maskers or biofeedback.

Tinnitus· Tinnitus-related disability·Major depression·Counseling