The efficacy of treatments for depression used in the management of tinnitus

Abstract

Tinnitus and depression are both common, and various studies have shown a high degree of comorbidity between the two conditions. The causality of this link is still unclear: does depression predispose to tinnitus, do tinnitus patients become depressed because of their tinnitus or do the two conditions arise because of some common pathophysiological mechanism? Partly because of this observed comorbidity, many treatment modalities that have been used in the treatment of depression have also been assessed in tinnitus patients. These include antidepressant drugs, psychological interventions, most notably cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and brain stimulation with electrical or magnetic energy. There is a reasonable evidence base for supporting the use of CBT in tinnitus patients. Evidence supporting the use of antidepressant drugs is poor and the technique of electromagnetic brain stimulation is still in its infancy.

Chronic Primary Tinnitus: A Management Dilemma

“…The mechanism of action of antidepressant drugs on tinnitus is debatable. It may affect the psychological status of the patient or directly affect central auditory pathway [ 36 ]. The most commonly used drugs are tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) and selective serotonin receptor inhibitor (SSRI).…”

Correlatos de Ansiedade e Depressão nas queixas de acufenos

“…Isto é particularmente relevante, uma vez que o aumento da dor potencia o aumento da ansiedade, e vice-versa, levando a um círculo que terá de ser quebrado para que o paciente consiga lidar melhor com o problema (Ogden, 1999). Nos acufenos, o uso das TCC baseia-se na avaliação dos pensamentos e cognições do paciente, e na forma como estes influenciam o seu comportamento (McFerran & Baguley, 2008). A sua utilidade pode igualmente estender-se a situações de dificuldade relativamente ao sono (McKenna & Daniel, 2005).…”

“…A terapia cognitivo-comportamental (TCC), desenvolvida inicialmente para intervenção nas fobias, na ansiedade e na depressão, tem-se mostrado bastante eficaz no controlo dos acufenos e na melhoria da QDV destes pacientes (Landgrebe & Langguth, 2011b;McFerran & Baguley, 2008).…”