Predictive factors for development of severe tinnitus suffering-further characterisation

The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors for Severe Tinnitus Suffering (STS) and to describe the results from psychiatric diagnostic interviews of STS positive and STS negative patients. Consecutive tinnitus patients (n = 127) completed the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) and the Tinnitus Severity Questionnaire (TSQ) and answered general health questions at the first visit to the clinic and at eighteen months follow-up. Twenty-four months after the first tinnitus consultation, standardized diagnostic interviews (SCID-P), according to DSM-IIIR, were performed by an experienced psychiatrist. The calculated probability for STS was 93%, if three items from the NHP (18,32,33) were positive. STS positive patients had more anxiety disorders with more psychosocial stress and lower global assessment of function scores. Results suggest that the NHP may be a useful tool in the clinical management of tinnitus patients and emphasises the importance of identifying depressive and anxiety disorders in this population.