Book Review: Living Well With Tinnitus – The Hearing Review
By Helen Massy, Freelance Journalist and Content Writer
If you’re reading Living Well With Tinnitus: A Self-Help Guide Using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, you’ve likely heard of tinnitus. Perhaps you have this condition or know someone that does. It’s an unwanted auditory intruder that affects many people’s lives.
According to the British Tinnitus Association, around 30% of people experience tinnitus, with 13% (1 in 8) having persistent tinnitus. For such a commo…….
By Helen Massy, Freelance Journalist and Content Writer
If you’re reading Living Well With Tinnitus: A Self-Help Guide Using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, you’ve likely heard of tinnitus. Perhaps you have this condition or know someone that does. It’s an unwanted auditory intruder that affects many people’s lives.
According to the British Tinnitus Association, around 30% of people experience tinnitus, with 13% (1 in 8) having persistent tinnitus. For such a common condition, many people do not understand the impact it can have.
Helen Massy
On first reading this book by Dr Hashir Aazh and Professor Brian CJ Moore, what strikes me is the personal quotes about what it feels like to experience tinnitus. The best way to explain it is to share a quote with you:
It’s like being under the worst tension I can possibly be under. As I said to the psychiatrist, if somebody told me to rip your head off, Hashir, to stop this agony, I would consider it, even though we are friends. I like you, but this is not a good place to be. Since half-past four in the morning, I have had no sleep, and this has been going on since last Friday. The noise in my head is the worst it can get. Put me in a war zone. I will fight everyone in sight, including my own comrades! Please stop it. This is too intense.
The book Living Well With Tinnitus: A Self-Help Guide Using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy does not just open up a discussion about an under-discussed medical condition. It does much more than that. It delves into the reality of living with tinnitus. And most importantly, it provides a 10-step self-management guide to living well with this condition that so many find distressing. Let’s dive into the book a little further and learn more about the motivation and science behind it.
Why a Book About Tinnitus?
The authors designed this book to be used by those who are experiencing distressing tinnitus. It is mainly for patients – a self-help tool. But it is equally helpful for clinicians.
“Most of the materials presented here are original and have not been covered in most audiology or psychology university courses in the past, so the book can also be useful for clinicians,” said Aazh.
For some people, tinnitus can cause a lot of difficulties. Let’s take another impactful quote from the book:
I do not get any enjoyment or satisfaction from life. I feel that I am not a nice person. I am good for nothing. That’s how tinnitus makes me feel.
Imagine feeling …….
