I came across a rather sad news story online today regarding a boat skipper from Northern Wales who committed suicide 6 days after being told his tinnitus was incurable and was offered no hope or apparent guidance on how to cope.
Described as a proud man with a strong personality, he had been struggling with tinnitus and hyper-sensitivity to sound for about 6 months.
A coroner's inquest was held and during the hearing one family member stated, "He was just told to get on with it. There was no bit of encouragement, no hope of improvement."
Although the coroner did not believe there was any malpractice involved, she did state, "...I feel very strongly that there should be a more robust and proactive approach when someone is given a prognosis in which there is no hope for cure or improvement."
Notice how the word hope is rather prominent here?
This incident may reflect a problem inherent with modern medicine where specialists deal with one specific area and tend to ignore anything that doesn't fall within their bailiwick.
Yet the whole person does need to be considered in all healing situations. Personally I cannot think of anything more tragic than when the thoughtless and careless communication of a person in authority such as a doctor drives someone into a state of utter despair and panic.
Talk about negative hypnosis and the misuse of suggestion! Is it really any surprise this person acted as he did if he fully accepted the idea that he was a hopeless case? Makes sense in a sad sort of way.
The truth is that while it is not always possible to do something about the neurological signal that creates the unwanted sounds of tinnitus, there are plenty of strategies than can help a person learn to cope with that experience and to become less bothered by it-to regain your quality of life.
Another truth is that there is usually no magic bullet and that a number of strategies may need to be tried until you find an adequate level of relief or what is called "habituation" to the tinnitus, so this may take some time. Taking a holistic approach that includes mind/body healing methods such as self-hypnosis and mindfulness meditation can make this process more comfortable for you.
Probably the most important idea you can take away from this tragedy is this: never, ever, under any circumstances, let anyone take your hope from you!
And if you have thoughts about harming yourself, you have to call the appropriate emergency services in your community without hesitation-no debate on this point.
Please feel free to connect if you have any questions, I'm here to help!
Source article: http://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/155661/deganwy-boat-skipper-leapt-to-his-death-after-being-told-there-was-no-cure-for-his-tinnitus.aspx
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