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Fear of Tinnitus..


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Hi all, I’ve not been on the forum much recently over the past few months however I feel over the past few days I need a bit of advice/help. So basically during the past week a tragedy happened involving someone I know which was through suicide, having heard what happened it made me feel sick and it also involves Tinnitus. So the main problem and obsession I’m facing at the moment is the fear of developing tinnitus, over the past day or so I’ve felt on edge and very sensitive to noise so when I’m sitting in bed and it’s silent I keep obsessing if I’ve developed tinnitus or not, if my ears are ringing or I’m hearing a noise related to tinnitus, it’s hard to explain but when I’m sat in bed silent or even with the tv on I’m testing and going over and over in my head listening out to see if i can hear a noise and I’ve noticed that by doing so it’s like a white noise sound, when sitting and listening for it just feels like a fuzzy noise which isn’t too loud so now my anxiety has increased a lot as I’m obsessing over this. The problem is I don’t know the difference between tinnitus or whether it’s just silence and I’m testing it and overthinking it too much. Does this sound normal and has anyone else experienced this? If so any help would be much appreciated.

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So you're concentrating like crazy on your hearing and lo and behold you are hearing sounds. That freaks you out. In addition you are overthinking like crazy, which makes matters worse.

How's that working for you?

This has nothing to do with tinnitus and evetything to do with OCD.

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We can obsess and compulse about anything - and it's all worthless nonsense. 

Because the OCD exaggerates any small importance there might actually be. 

If you obsess that there may be an elephant in the room, all kinds of possibilities whys and wherefores may occur - despite the likelihood being minimal. 

Those who do have tinnitus are generally quite good at ignoring it, and that works well for them. A much better way of operating than your actively scanning for it. 

Switch off the scanner, stop doing it ✋ Instead switch your focus to something beneficial and intensive. Keep working this process for as long as it takes to break the connection with the obsession and carrying out of the compulsions. 

Let us know your progress and any difficulties encountered. 

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Don't you find it the least bit weird that something tragic happened involving tinnitus and next thing you know you are obsessed with tinnitus? No coincidence here. Your mind latched onto the subject and you started doing compulsions, making the situation worse.

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Thanks @taurean I’m finding it hard to switch off from it, although it’s like anything ocd related it’s so hard as I’m scared ive developed it and I’m actually hearing a fuzzy noise. @PolarBear yes I know I have started to obsess but in the past when my ocd was first bad and when my anxiety was high I noticed I was more sensitive and on edge to ever little sound due to the fact of obsessing over schizophrenia it’s now tinnitus I’m obsessing over.

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Guest OCDhavenobrain

I have been very worried about tinnitus some periods of my life. When i was a kid did i get/have tinnitus. I am still unsure if i have tinnitus, if i listen when it is quiest do i have a sound in my ears, that is tinnitus, sounds when there is no source. However, i am not sure if it is my sinuses who makes it because it gets worse when i am having problems with my sinuses. And i got operation when i was a kid for fluid in my ears. 

No matter if i have tinnitus or not, do i have fear of getting tinnitus/more severe tinnitus. I am afraid of loud sounds because i know what they can do. And there is currently no cure to tinnitus, everything that there is no cure to is really really scary to me. 

 

You are obsessing about this. The ultimate answer is that we can't know for sure. I know that answer sucks to hear when you are worrying because it open up for so much uncertainty, but maybe you know how much OCD and uncertainty go together?

Edited by OCDhavenobrain
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In OCD we can fear, and imagine, all sorts of things - but we have to recognise that, and stop ourselves and refocus away. 

And keep doing that until we have broken the unwanted negative automatic compulsive thinking that causes disorder and distress. 

Edited by taurean
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I had a fear of tinnitus and used to worry about sounds which could be tinnitus.

Then I got actual tinnitus!!! I went to GP who knows all about my OCD, he gave me olive oil ear drops and it cleared up in a week. Since then I have not worried!

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I have permanent tinnitus in my left ear. Caused by an untreated ear infection in the left ear. Over the past 18 months I have had two operations to sort out the problem including the replacement of the hearing bones. The smallest bones in the body. One of the treatments for tinnitus is CBT for tinnitus. Which I have not had as the tinnitus is manageable. But problems arise when you shift your attention to the sounds or check for sounds and their volume. So the treatment for tinnitus and an OCD fear of tinnitus is remarkably similar do not pay attention.

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Kieran does not need to know about possible fixes for tinnitus. This isn't about tinnitus. It's about OCD. His mind fixated on tinnitus but it just as easily have fixated in germs or stabbing people with knives.

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Quite so. We can obsess and carry out compulsions, about anything - no limits. 

When that happens, it's all about seeing that is what is happening, and changing our behavioural response.

 

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I know that. The fact is Polar Bear that the treatment is bascally the same or as I said ‘remarkably similar’. I think that I was clear. You stop the checking in the context of the particular manifestation of OCD. So Kieran stops his present state of compulsions! 

Edited by Angst
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