Even though the typical person who has never suffered with a loss of hearing might believe that it is nothing more than a medical condition, it is one that is deeply rooted to the individual’s mental and psychological health and well-being. Not only is hearing a necessity when it comes to absorbing the sounds of our environment. Numerous people communicate through being able to hear. Hearing is one of the five senses that many of us rely on every day.
Many people are born with deafness or develop it at some point throughout their life. They will often learn how to adapt to it through a hearing aid or communicating through sign language and writing. Anybody can learn these skills, but that still makes the process just as hard. The journey psychologically is just as imperative as that of the physical cure, or coping mechanism.
Many individuals go through what is referred to as a period of mourning, which involves a substantial amount of grief upon first learning about their loss of hearing. Just like someone who might have lost their vision, they are likely to feel sad about not being able to hear all of the sounds around them. They begin to feel sad about missing everything that they once enjoyed, as well as sounds that they might not ever hear or heard in the first place. Music, normal conversation and the sound of your loved one’s talking will all fade away amongst the background noise, or in some situations, they disappear completely. This is sad in and of itself.
Then, there is the experience of grief. Due to the lack of ability to hear, it can become rather frustrating and disheartening. It is not okay to simply sit and wallow in your grief, but the imperative psychological aspect needs addressing. Anyone who is helping one of their loved ones through this troubling time will want to allow them an adequate period for grieving, within a reasonable time frame. Whenever possible, you will want to speak to a hearing professional and psychologist.
Regardless of whether it is before, during or after your development of hearing loss, numerous individuals go through denial when it comes to their loss of hearing. It can be difficult to accept that there are changes going on. Many individuals will blame anything else they can think of to avoid confronting the issue that their ears are not the same as they once were. The majority of the time this is found in those losing their hearing due to age. Often it will prove to be one of the most frustrating psychological effects for loved ones to handle.
Sometimes it is difficult to explain that a loved one needs to seek medical assistance, and often you might seem like you are a nag to the one with the problem. Speaking with one of the specialists will often help calm the individual’s fears and concerns when it comes to admitting what is going on with their hearing and working to come up with an appropriate solution.
Another common problem for the one with loss of hearing is that they may end up suffering from an anxiety, depression or other fear of social interaction, even though they might have been an outgoing and sociable person all along. Feeling as if you are missing important events can cause the person to become stressed, and at times, they end up withdrawing entirely. Understanding all of the benefits a hearing aid can provide helps the person live a life full of happiness. Make sure you stress the importance of not only hearing, but also reconnecting socially for a complete recovery.