This book provides up-to-date scientific information on the pathways by which psychosocial
stress can affect the auditory system and describes current approaches to the management of
patients with stress-related tinnitus. The latest evidence is presented on aspects such as the
role of stress hormones in auditory function the effects of allostatic load circadian
sensitivity to auditory trauma and the association between stress-related biomarkers and
tinnitus. The clinically oriented chapters discuss psychometric instruments of value in the
tinnitus clinic and present stress-related tinnitus treatment protocols and outcome measures.
It is widely acknowledged that the tinnitus percept acts as a stressor. However it is also now
evident that psychosocial stress can play a causative role in tinnitus and that the impact
varies according to the level duration and quality of the stress. Assessment of the types and
levels of stress in tinnitus patients before during and after treatment is therefore very
important. Healthcare professionals attending tinnitus patients will benefit from the
information that this book provides on the relationship between tinnitus and stress and from
the practical guidance that it offers.
