A smartphone app to help you live better with tinnitus

Tinnitus is often the cause of great psychological distress: perceived continuously, these “phantom” sounds (hissing, buzzing or crackling) affect the morale, sleep and social life of those who suffer from it. But certain therapies can help you live better with this burden on a daily basis, even if they do not eliminate the tinnitus itself. In a study published on January 9, researchers present the results obtained in patients who benefited from personalized support on their smartphone.

“We often hear that we can't do anything about tinnitus,” notes Fabrice Bardy, hearing aid specialist, doctor in hearing neuroscience and first author of the study. It's wrong. It is possible to reduce the reaction to the sound by dissipating the associated fear, which helps to relieve the tension felt by the patient. Just as it can ignore the noise of a car engine or air conditioning, the brain has the ability to adapt and filter out non-essential sounds.”

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Developed in 2019, the MindEar application presented in the journal Frontiers in Audiology and Otology is inspired by cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT), which have been proven to reduce the distress linked to these sounds that only the patient perceives, in his head or his ear. The objective of these therapies is to interrupt the vicious circle of dark thoughts. Thinking about tinnitus in a negative way (“this noise will drive me crazy”) actually leads to feelings of distress which in turn exacerbate the perception of the “phantom” sound. False beliefs and behavioral changes, such as avoiding situations for fear of making tinnitus worse, make the phenomenon even worse.

At a rate of 10 minutes a day for eight weeks, the program helps the user to decipher this mechanism and to reformulate their thoughts and regulate their stress. The paid application uses a “chatbot” (a robot dedicated to written conversation) capable of identifying the patient's particular difficulties and offering them appropriate support. In addition to CBT, relaxation and breathing exercises are available in podcast form, help with falling asleep, as well as sound therapy. “The patient selects a pleasant sound environment (wind, birds, waves, etc.) which he can then play continuously at a volume lower than that of tinnitus, via speakers or headphones, so as to avoid the silence,” notes Fabrice Bardy, who co-founded the company marketing this technology.

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The results of the study carried out at the University of Auckland show the effectiveness of the method in patients suffering from tinnitus. Sixteen weeks after the launch of the program, a clinically significant improvement was measured in 62% of participants by validated questionnaires. The program notably had a positive effect on the emotional state, self-control, sleep and relaxation of patients. The benefit occurred more quickly (from eight weeks) among those who had access to thirty-minute teleconsultations with a psychologist, in addition to the smartphone program. The possibility of making an appointment with a trained therapist has since been added to the application.

“Even if the study is limited in scope in that it only involves thirty people, its results make sense,” comments Dr. Alain Londero, ENT doctor at the Georges Pompidou European Hospital, who did not participate. looking. This type of program meets a real clinical need: there are few psychologists trained in behavioral therapies in the field of tinnitus.”

This disorder, which can have multiple origins, affects between 10 and 15% of the population (mainly adults, but children can also be victims). “It is crucial to intervene as soon as possible after the onset of tinnitus in order to prevent the spiral of harmful symptoms,” notes Fabrice Bardy, who says he was made aware of the problem when his father reported tinnitus as a result. of head trauma. “I then became aware of my limits in terms of psychological support. I lacked a suitable tool to guide my patients through this ordeal.”