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Tinnitus Awareness Week: A cry for awareness and understanding

Writer's picture: Art of Hearing | Dyon ScheijenArt of Hearing | Dyon Scheijen


Next week marks Tinnitus Awareness Week, and I want to make my voice heard as loudly as possible! Not for myself, but for the people who fight tinnitus and hearing problems every day. For children, adults, and the elderly. For those who remain misunderstood, who get lost in medical bureaucracies, the swamp of social media misinformation, and who struggle with the impact of hearing loss and the all-consuming sound in their heads.


This week, two stories from my tinnitus consultation touched me deeply. Two stories that are emblematic of many others. Two stories that compelled me to write this blog.


The child who heard what wasn’t meant to be heard

An eleven-year-old girl. Super smart and incredibly curious. Her hearing is perfectly fine, but ever since she saw a program about tinnitus on the internet—including an ad for a neurostimulator with complex terms and threatening imagery about how severe it can be—she can’t stop focusing on the ringing in her head. Her brain, always seeking knowledge and connections, has latched onto the idea of tinnitus. Her parents feel powerless. Online, they found only horror stories. Panic set in.


But then, something remarkable happens in the consultation room. The girl listens to my explanation of how our brain processes sound, how attention and emotion can amplify tinnitus. She asks intelligent questions, thinks critically, and keeps digging deeper. And then, I draw the glass. Her parents look at each other, and suddenly, there’s understanding. Their eyes light up. Because this isn’t just a ringing sound. This is attention, meaning-making—a vicious cycle they can now break together.


This child demonstrates how powerful our brains are. How we can train ourselves to hear what we fear—and how we can also learn to let it go. A lesson that applies just as much to adults with tinnitus, given the right tools.


The invisible struggle of a fellow healthcare provider

Another patient. A woman working in healthcare, struggling with hearing loss for years. She tried hearing aids, but due to her asymmetrical hearing, only one side benefited. She struggles at work but keeps pushing through. Because her job? She rates it a A+. She does it with passion and dedication. But at night, she is completely drained. No one sees it, no one notices.


Until she tells her story to the occupational physician. She breaks down in tears, describing her daily battle with hearing loss, the energy it takes to follow conversations, and the tinnitus that swells into a storm at night. And what does she get? A lack of understanding. Not out of malice, but ignorance. Her request for hearing aid reimbursement is dismissed. They don’t realize that in a quiet room with clear speech, she only hears 70%—let alone in the chaos of her work environment. Five more years until retirement, and she is now eagerly awaiting it—not because she wants to stop, but because she simply can’t keep going. She is exhausted.


Is it any wonder her tinnitus is deafening? This is not just ‘ordinary hearing loss.’ This is years of pushing through exhaustion. This is a body that has been crying out for help for a long time. Fortunately, we will support her in every way possible, so she can still reach retirement with joy. A tinnitus program, social work intake, a prescription for new hearing aids, a referral letter to the audiologist—who will also play a crucial role in this collaborative effort.


More than just ears: The connection between ACT and audiology

These stories show that hearing is about more than just ears. Hearing loss and tinnitus go beyond an audiogram. They affect identity, energy, resilience, and the ability to participate in the world. This is where audiology and psychology intersect.


Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) offers a perspective we cannot ignore. This child, this healthcare provider—both are confronted with thoughts and emotions that shape their experience of sound. ACT teaches us that we don’t always have control over what we hear, but we do have control over how we deal with it.


What you focus on grows. Like the child who fixated on her tinnitus after a frightening internet video. Our brain seeks explanations—sometimes the wrong ones. Like the healthcare provider who remains unseen and suffers even more as a result. Don’t wait for perfect circumstances—take action. Seek understanding, ask for help. Just like the parents who finally gained insight and the colleagues who need to open their eyes.


The urgency of awareness and early intervention

These stories show that as professionals, colleagues, friends, and family, we have much work to do. Because tinnitus and hearing problems are invisible. And that’s exactly what makes them so insidious.

So here’s my plea: see it. Ask about it. Understand it. Do you notice someone struggling to hear? A colleague withdrawing more often? Have you heard them mention tinnitus or exhaustion after a day full of listening effort?


We can’t afford to wait until people reach a breaking point. We must refer earlier, spread more knowledge, and above all, engage in conversations—with understanding, without judgment. Thankfully, there are places where help is available, such as Stichting Hoormij for information and peer support. The general practitioner as the first step toward medical help. The ENT specialist for specialist diagnostics. The occupational physician who listens and refers when more help is needed. The audiological center for multidisciplinary care and specialized treatment. The audiologist for that first conversation with true understanding of the problem.


Let’s give a voice to tinnitus and hearing problems together. Because hearing is more than just ears. And no one should have to fight this battle alone.

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