Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Tinnitus: Outpatient-Based Treatment

Abstract

Background and Objectives Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a treatment option for subjective tinnitus. There are many reports on its clinical efficacy, but the protocol has not been well established. The purpose of this study was to set an outpatient-based CBT protocol and evaluate its clinical efficacy for tinnitus.Subjects and Method A total of 85 chronic tinnitus patients was assessed in this prospective study. After evaluating for eligibility, 30 patients completed CBT based on a protocol of 5 weekly sessions in an outpatient setting. Therapeutic efficacy was assessed by Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) questionnaires and visual analogue scale (VAS) for tinnitus. The initial scores were compared with the final scores, which were assessed a month after the fifth CBT session.Results The results showed that CBT reduced THI and VAS scores significantly (<i>p</i><0.05).Conclusion The results of the study suggest that an outpatient-based CBT protocol can be clinically beneficial for patients with tinnitus.