Deafness and Psychiatric Illness

1976 ◽  
Vol 129 (3) ◽  
pp. 216-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. F. Cooper

SummaryReview of the literature concerning the relationship between deafness and psychiatric disorder reveals differences in the pattern of illness depending on the severity of deafness and the age of onset. In particular, the prevalence of schizophrenia in the prelingually deaf is similar to that found in the normal population, whereas the hard of hearing are over-represented among samples of patients suffering from paranoid psychoses in later life.Possible modes of action of long-standing hearing loss in the aetiology of paranoid illnesses are considered: the psychological and social consequences of deafness, the possible contribution of sensory deprivation phenomena, and the interference of hearing loss in attention, perception and communication. Finally, possible future lines of research are suggested.

Author(s):  
Coreen McGuire

Amplified telephony was introduced to the UK by the General Post Office in an attempt to provide ‘hard of hearing’ individuals access to telephone communications during the inter-war years. In defining deafness as an inability to engage with telephony, the Post Office used this technology to construct new thresholds of hearing loss. Through exploring the development of amplified telephones for ‘deaf subscribers’ I show how telephony was used as a tool in the categorisation of disability and how, in turn, telephone users modified such technology to fit their personal needs and identities. A growing number of histories of disability examine the multiple ways in which social contexts shape disability and ability. This analysis provides a new perspective on the fluid, technology influenced definitions of hearing and deafness. By conceptualising the amplified telephone as a prosthetic, this analysis uncovers some of the ways in which hearing and deafness were socially and technologically constructed in interwar Britain. Study of early twentieth century telephony redefines the relationship between technology, communications, and disability, broadening our historical understanding of deafness in particular.


1985 ◽  
Vol 147 (5) ◽  
pp. 552-556 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. R. Eastwood ◽  
S. Corbin ◽  
M. Reed ◽  
H. Nobbs ◽  
H. B. Kedward

Hearing impairment and mental disorders are common among residents of nursing homes and homes for the aged; however, the relationship between sensory deficit and psychiatic illness has been little investigated in this population. The prevalence of hearing impairment, psychiatric illness, and co-morbidity was investigated in a sample of 102 elderly residents from consecutive admissions to a home for the aged. Examining the coincidence of these disorders showed evidence of an association between hearing loss and paraphrenia, and hearing loss and dysphoric states, but not between hearing and cognitive impairment. The results of this survey provide only suggestive evidence regarding aetiology, but strongly support conjoint assessment of the elderly.


2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (01) ◽  
pp. 010-025
Author(s):  
Rahul K. Sharma ◽  
Alexander Chern ◽  
Justin S. Golub

AbstractAge-related hearing loss (ARHL) has been connected to both cognitive decline and late-life depression. Several mechanisms have been offered to explain both individual links. Causal and common mechanisms have been theorized for the relationship between ARHL and impaired cognition, including dementia. The causal mechanisms include increased cognitive load, social isolation, and structural brain changes. Common mechanisms include neurovascular disease as well as other known or as-yet undiscovered neuropathologic processes. Behavioral mechanisms have been used to explain the potentially causal association of ARHL with depression. Behavioral mechanisms include social isolation, loneliness, as well as decreased mobility and impairments of activities of daily living, all of which can increase the risk of depression. The mechanisms underlying the associations between hearing loss and impaired cognition, as well as hearing loss and depression, are likely not mutually exclusive. ARHL may contribute to both impaired cognition and depression through overlapping mechanisms. Furthermore, ARHL may contribute to impaired cognition which may, in turn, contribute to depression. Because ARHL is highly prevalent and greatly undertreated, targeting this condition is an appealing and potentially influential strategy to reduce the risk of developing two potentially devastating diseases of later life. However, further studies are necessary to elucidate the mechanistic relationship between ARHL, depression, and impaired cognition.


eLife ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin D Yao ◽  
Dan H Sanes

Sensory deprivation during development induces lifelong changes to central nervous system function that are associated with perceptual impairments. However, the relationship between neural and behavioral deficits is uncertain due to a lack of simultaneous measurements during task performance. Therefore, we telemetrically recorded from auditory cortex neurons in gerbils reared with developmental conductive hearing loss as they performed an auditory task in which rapid fluctuations in amplitude are detected. These data were compared to a measure of auditory brainstem temporal processing from each animal. We found that developmental HL diminished behavioral performance, but did not alter brainstem temporal processing. However, the simultaneous assessment of neural and behavioral processing revealed that perceptual deficits were associated with a degraded cortical population code that could be explained by greater trial-to-trial response variability. Our findings suggest that the perceptual limitations that attend early hearing loss are best explained by an encoding deficit in auditory cortex.


2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 234-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard M. Arenas ◽  
Elizabeth A. Walker ◽  
Jacob J. Oleson

Purpose A number of studies with large sample sizes have reported lower prevalence of stuttering in children with significant hearing loss compared to children without hearing loss. This study used a parent questionnaire to investigate the characteristics of stuttering (e.g., incidence, prevalence, and age of onset) in children who are hard of hearing (CHH). Method Three hundred three parents of CHH who participated in the Outcomes of Children With Hearing Loss study (Moeller & Tomblin, 2015) were sent questionnaires asking about their child's history of stuttering. Results One hundred ninety-four parents of CHH responded to the survey. Thirty-three CHH were reported to have stuttered at one point in time (an incidence of 17.01%), and 10 children were still stuttering at the time of survey submission (a prevalence of 5.15%). Compared to estimates in the general population, this sample displayed a significantly higher incidence and prevalence. The age of onset, recovery rate, and other characteristics were similar to hearing children. Conclusions Based on this sample, mild to moderately severe hearing loss does not appear to be a protective factor for stuttering in the preschool years. In fact, the incidence and prevalence of stuttering may be higher in this population compared to the general population. Despite the significant speech and language needs that children with mild to moderately severe hearing loss may have, speech-language pathologists should appropriately prioritize stuttering treatment as they would in the hearing population. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.5397154


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-52
Author(s):  
Pawel Aleksandrowicz

The study investigates the reading comprehension skill of d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) Poles in the context of media accessibility. Deriving from the assumption that spoken Polish typically acts as a second language for the DHH, the study employed state certificate exams designed for foreigners learning Polish as a second language. A reading comprehension test was composed on the basis of these exams, containing tasks at B1, B2 and C1 proficiency levels. It was administered to 126 participants: 87 d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) and 39 hearing persons acting as the control group. It was also accompanied by a demographic questionnaire to determine the relationship between the reading skill and such aspects as age, education, degree of hearing loss, onset of hearing loss, preferred means of communication (sign language, spoken Polish, both), declared proficiency in Polish and preferred media accessibility method (sign language interpretation, subtitling, either of the two).


Author(s):  
Hiroshi Iwai ◽  
Muneo Inaba

Although congenital sensorineural hearing loss (SHL) in the bilateral cochleae mainly results from genetic abnormalities, chronic SHL progressing in later life is often influenced by systemic immune disturbances, including autoimmunity, chronic inflammation, and immunosenescence. We have investigated the relationship between the inner ear and systemic immunity and reviewed the possibilities to prevent SHL, including autoimmune SHL and age-related SHL. We also demonstrated two lymphocyte populations, interleukin 1 receptor type II (IL-1R2)-positive T cells (T1R2) and naturally occurring regulatory T cells (nTregs) in CD4+ T cells, which increase with aging, suppress host immune function and promote organ degeneration. Alterations in systemic immunity by fewer microbial antigen challenges in the living environment, elimination of immune suppressive lymphocytes, or immune rejuvenation with a reconstituted thymus may contribute not only to renew the cochlear function in SHL, but also to extend the healthy life of functional organs in a vigorous and youthful body, one of humanity’s greatest dreams.


2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 274-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Convery ◽  
Gitte Keidser ◽  
Louise Hickson ◽  
Carly Meyer

Purpose Hearing loss self-management refers to the knowledge and skills people use to manage the effects of hearing loss on all aspects of their daily lives. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between self-reported hearing loss self-management and hearing aid benefit and satisfaction. Method Thirty-seven adults with hearing loss, all of whom were current users of bilateral hearing aids, participated in this observational study. The participants completed self-report inventories probing their hearing loss self-management and hearing aid benefit and satisfaction. Correlation analysis was used to investigate the relationship between individual domains of hearing loss self-management and hearing aid benefit and satisfaction. Results Participants who reported better self-management of the effects of their hearing loss on their emotional well-being and social participation were more likely to report less aided listening difficulty in noisy and reverberant environments and greater satisfaction with the effect of their hearing aids on their self-image. Participants who reported better self-management in the areas of adhering to treatment, participating in shared decision making, accessing services and resources, attending appointments, and monitoring for changes in their hearing and functional status were more likely to report greater satisfaction with the sound quality and performance of their hearing aids. Conclusion Study findings highlight the potential for using information about a patient's hearing loss self-management in different domains as part of clinical decision making and management planning.


2010 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Yoshinaga-Itano

Abstract It is possible for children who are deaf or hard of hearing to attain language development comparable to their hearing peers, but these outcomes are not guaranteed. The population of children with hearing loss is a diverse population and although the variable of the age of identification is less variable, there are numerous variables that could potentially and have historically impacted language outcomes of children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Variables such as hearing loss, maternal level of education, and maternal bonding can overcome the benefits of earlier identification and intervention.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document