RESUMO
Tinnitus, or the perception of sound in the absence of an acoustic stimulus, is a highly prevalent and distressing symptom that currently lacks an effective medical treatment. Tinnitus is highly comorbid with insomnia, depression, and anxiety and is the most common service-connected disability among veterans of the U.S. military. This article evaluates Integrative Tinnitus Management (ITM), a multidisciplinary 9-week education and skills-based program aimed at reducing distress related to tinnitus. Thirty U.S. veterans completed a course of ITM at a large, urban Veteran's Administration (VA) hospital and provided pre- and posttreatment data. Veterans completed self-report measures related to tinnitus symptoms, depression symptoms, and mindfulness at pre- and posttreatment. Results demonstrated that veterans who completed the program experienced significant decreases in self-reported distress related to tinnitus symptoms, impairment because of tinnitus symptoms, and depression symptoms. Overall, this preliminary evaluation of ITM suggests it may be an efficacious treatment for tinnitus-related distress and warrants advancement to a randomized control trial (RCT). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
