Tinnitus Activities Treatment

Activities treatment is an extension of our earlier work on information counseling, providing information to the patient about tinnitus and associated problems, considering the patient's overall well-being, and suggesting appropriate coping strategies (Tyler and Babin, 1986; Tyler and Baker, 1983). In most situations we combine activities treatment with partial masking sound therapy (e.g., Stouffer and Tyler, 1990; Tyler et al, 1989). We strongly believe it is important to consider "all the patient's difficulties, not only an isolated problem" (Tyler and Babin, 1986, p. 3215). For example, we and others have realized the importance of reassuring patients that tinnitus was not an indication of a life-threatening disease, and educating them about the high prevalence of tinnitus in the general population (Stouffer et al, 1991). We recommend the use of a tinnitus problems questionnaire (Tyler and Baker, 1983) as part of a counseling program to determine the issues that are especially important to the patient (see also Chapter 1 in this book). This "represents an excellent opportunity for the patient to consider the problems that he or she attributes to tinnitus" (Tyler and Baker, 1983, p. 153).