UK - Tinnitus sufferer plagued by C&W music commits suicide

[MelmothTheLost]

Rock fan, 53, killed himself after tinnitus left him hearing country and western music day and night

A retired firefighter took his own life after suffering a mental breakdown as he battled severe tinnitus, his wife has revealed.

Glen Mitchell, 53, heard painful ringing, buzzing, and whistling sounds that made even the sound of a kettle boiling and her breathing too much to take.

He also suffered auditory hallucinations that meant country and western music played continuously in his head, depriving him of sleep.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4982094/Rock-fan-53-killed-suffering-tinnitus.html

 

[Indy Anna]

Very sad. I thought tinnitus could be treated with medication, but according to the NIH website, medications sold OTC have not been proven effective for tinnitus. But, there are other treatments that may help, such as cochlear implants and meds that address anxiety.

It seems odd that tinnitus would be caused by a single incident of exposure to loud noise (the NIH website gives ongoing exposure to loud noise as a cause), so I was wondering if he might have been taking a medication that was the root cause (the NIH website also mentions tinnitus as being a side effect of some meds) which was exacerbated by the loud music.

When I was a teenager in the hospital and taking pain meds following surgery, I began having auditory hallucinations. Early in the morning I would hear what sounded like cartoons on TV or a band playing. My mother was staying with me, so I sent her up and down the hallway investigating. Although the sounds I heard weren't distressing to me, it was nerve-wracking trying to determine the sources of the noise and have them confirmed. Thankfully, it was only temporary for me. I'm sorry for what this man endured and that his doctors just dismissed his complaints.

https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/tinnitus