Can tinnitus affect my well-being?

The course of tinnitus is unpredictable. In some people, the symptoms remain the same over time or resolve; in others, they worsen. Just how severe tinnitus is seems to depend on a person's overall physical and mental health. In other words, the worse a person's health is, the worse the tinnitus is likely to be. As many as half of those with tinnitus also suffer from depression. In some cases, tinnitus contributes to depression, but in others, it may be a symptom.

Tinnitus tends to be worse in a quiet room, where there are few outside noises to mask the noise inside a person's head. This is why tinnitus sometimes causes insomnia. Most people develop strategies for coping with tinnitus, but for about 1% of people with the condition, it becomes so disabling that they have trouble functioning every day. These people need medical help and psychological counseling to cope with the effects of the condition.