Directed Attention and Habituation: Two Concepts Critical to Tinnitus Management

Directed attention and habituation are key concepts pertaining to clinical intervention for bothersome tinnitus. Directed attention is the strategy of distracting attention away from the tinnitus. Habituation is the process of learning to stop paying attention to stimuli that are irrelevant or meaningless. Although tinnitus may be intrusive, it usually does not reflect some underlying condition requiring medical attention. Tinnitus in most instances is therefore considered an irrelevant, meaningless stimulus that is best treated by facilitating habituation to the phantom sound. This tutorial describes directed attention and habituation and how they relate to major behavioral methods of tinnitus intervention.

Arguably, the four major behavioral methods of tinnitus intervention with the strongest research evidence are cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT), tinnitus activities treatment (TAT), and progressive tinnitus management (PTM). Each of these four methods was evaluated to determine the role of directed attention as a treatment strategy and habituation as a treatment goal.

All four of the methods (CBT, TRT, TAT, and PTM) utilize some form of directed attention as a component of their counseling. Habituation is the explicit or implicit goal of each of these methods.

Directed attention and habituation are essential concepts for all of the major methods of behavioral intervention for tinnitus that were studied. It would therefore seem appropriate to include directed attention as a universal treatment strategy for bothersome tinnitus. Likewise, the commonality of habituation as the objective of treatment would suggest that habituation should be the universal goal of any method that is intended to mitigate the emotional and functional effects of tinnitus.