title: Tinnitus severity and the relation to depressive symptoms: a critical study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In this study, the authors investigated whether tinnitus severity is a problem related to depression. If so, the following 2 conditions should be fulfilled: first, there should be evidence for the presence of moderate to severe depressive symptomatology in a substantial group of tinnitus patients; second, there should be evidence of a substantial relationship between depressive symptoms and tinnitus severity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) Department of the Ghent University Hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  In total, 136 consecutive help-seeking tinnitus patients were seen by a psychologist, an audiologist, and an ENT specialist. All patients filled in the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) and the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) and underwent psychoacoustic measurement.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean scores indicate the presence of no or minimal depressive symptoms. There was a positive correlation (P < .01) between the BDI-II and the THI. No correlations were found between psychoacoustic measures and the self-report questionnaires. Linear regression analysis was performed to examine the predictive role of the 3 components of depression (cognitive, somatic, and affective) in tinnitus severity. Results show that only the somatic depression subscale of the BDI-II significantly predicted tinnitus severity, which can be explained because of content overlap between the BDI-II and the THI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Tinnitus does not appear to be a problem related to depression. The authors did not find a substantial group of tinnitus patients with moderate to severe depressive symptoms. The relation between depressive symptoms and tinnitus severity seems to be an artifact of content overlap between the BDI-II and the THI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychoanalysis and Clinical Consulting, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. Els.Ooms@Ugent.be
authors.forename: Els
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ooms
authors.forename: Reitske
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Meganck
authors.forename: Stijn
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vanheule
authors.forename: Bart
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vinck
authors.forename: Jean-Baptiste
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Watelet
authors.forename: Ingeborg
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Dhooge
mesh_terms: D001530:Belgium / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011571:Psychoacoustics; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology