FROM THE PUBLISHER
ATA BOARD OF DIRECTORS Jill Meltzer, AuD, Chicago, IL—Chair John Minnebo, MBA, Philadelphia, PA—Vice Chair Bar-Giora Goldberg, San Diego, CA—Secretary David Hadley, MBA, San Francisco—Treasurer Ron Zagel, Grand Rapids, MI—Assistant Treasurer
The ATA Will Never Tell You to Just Get Used to Tinnitus
Phillip Gander, PhD, Iowa City, IA Michael E. Hoffer, MD, FACS, Miami, FL Jeannie Karlovitz, AuD, Downington, PA Gordon Mountford, CPA, South Pasadena, CA Robert Travis Scott, Baton Rouge, LA LaGuinn P. Sherlock, AuD, Bethesda, MD— Immediate Past Chair Robert M. Traynor, EdD, MBA, Ft. Collins, CO Joseph Trevisani, New York, NY Ted Turesky, PhD, Boston, MA Melissa Wikoff, AuD, Atlanta, GA Jinsheng Zhang, PhD, Detroit, MI Torryn P. Brazell, Vienna, VA—Ex-officio HONORARY DIRECTOR William Shatner, Los Angeles, CA ATA SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE Michael E. Hoffer, MD, FACS—Chair University of Miami Health System, Miami, FL USA Carey D. Balaban, PhD University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA USA Shaowen Bao, PhD University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ Christopher R. Cederroth, PhD Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden Marc Fagelson, PhD East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN USA Fatima T. Husain, PhD University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL USA Mark S. Mennemeier, PhD University of Arkansas, Little Rock, AR USA Maria Rubio, PhD, MD University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA USA Jeremy G. Turner, PhD Illinois College, Jacksonville, IL USA
Tinnitus can be debilitating and finding people who grasp its negative effects can be hard. This can leave a person feeling alone and boxed in by constant sound. No one should feel that way. But how do you find help if everyone you’ve spoken to — from your family physician, friends, and family to your ENT doctor — has said “You’ll just have to get used to it”? When the ATA says we’re here to help you that means we will share credible information on treatments and tools for tinnitus management and point you in the right direction for utilizing healthcare resources in your local community. We will never tell you to get used to it! Tinnitus that upends your life by taking away your ability to sleep well, concentrate, socialize with friends, and relax isn’t something to “get used to.” It’s something that affects your mental and physical health, which can further contribute to a downward cycle in quality of life. In this issue, you’ll discover a growing network of mental health professionals and tinnitus-trained audiologists who are available to help you work through the anxiety, stress, and depression that can accompany tinnitus. If an audiologist who assesses your hearing and tinnitus believes you need more support working through the emotional turmoil of intrusive tinnitus, he/she can and should refer you to a therapist. If your circumstances prevent you from seeing a therapist, there are resources. You can get help online and through such tools as teletherapy, which allow you to access help from the comfort of your own home and on your schedule. The point is help is more readily available today than ever before. Please reach out for help today by utilizing resources outlined in this issue.
Torryn P. Brazell, CAE Publisher
The opinions expressed by contributors to Tinnitus Today are not necessarily those of the publisher or the American Tinnitus Association. This publication provides a variety of topics related to tinnitus for informational purposes only. ATA’s publication of any advertisement in any kind of media does not, in any way or manner, constitute or imply ATA’s approval or endorsement of any advertised product or service. ATA does not favor or endorse any commercial product or service.
Tricia Scaglione, AuD University of Miami, Plantation, FL USA Roland Schaette, PhD UCL Ear Institute, London, England Grant D. Searchfield, PhD University of Auckland, Auckland, NZ Richard Tyler, PhD University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA USA
Letters to the ATA
Fan-Gang Zeng, PhD University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA USA
The ATA encourages readers to send comments and questions about tinnitus and/or articles to editor@ata.org Emails selected for publication may be edited for brevity, clarity, and grammar.
TINNITUS TODAY SPRING 2020
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