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Acquired deafness and mental health
Author(s) -
Thomas Alan J.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
british journal of medical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.102
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 2044-8341
pISSN - 0007-1129
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-8341.1981.tb01452.x
Subject(s) - psychology , hearing loss , audiology , disturbance (geology) , mental health , orientation (vector space) , clinical psychology , psychiatry , medicine , paleontology , geometry , mathematics , biology
This paper reviews studies of the relationship between acquired deafness and psychological disturbance. The first part examines descriptive case studies based on personal experience, clinical observation and the simulation of hearing loss. The second part reviews studies with an experimental orientation. The overall conclusion is that acquired deafness is associated with psychological disturbance, at least at the psychoneurotic level. However, there is little evidence to support the commonly held view that loss of hearing results in heightened suspiciousness or an increased likelihood of paranoid reactions.