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Vestibular Disorders & Depression

Dizziness, spinning, light-headedness, noises and sensations in the ears--many symptoms characterize disorders of the vestibular system. Decreased quality of life that vestibular disorders cause often lead to depression and anxiety; some doctors have observed that pre-existing depression and anxiety may exacerbate symptoms of vestibular disorders.

  1. Vestibular Disorders

    • Typically caused by disease or malformation of the inner ear (or in some cases, the nuclei connecting the brain stem to the inner ear), vestibular disorders cause a sense of movement. A person with vestibular disorder may feel like they are spinning, falling, floating, rocking or like the world is moving disconcertingly around them. This is vertigo. In some cases, vertigo is so severe to disable the sufferer in everyday life.

    Depression

    • Depression is an emotional disorder in which a person feels sad, loses interest in everyday things, or experiences a decrease in her sense of self-worth. The loss of quality of life associated with vestibular disorders may cause depression. Some studies suggest that vestibular disorders are worse in people with existing depression.

    Anxiety

    • Anxiety is normal to some degree, but can be a disorder if it becomes debilitating. Fear of what may happen can cause a person to stay home, to reduce activity and to become guarded in personal interactions. Because people with vestibular disorders have trouble moving around and may even experience falls and errors in judgment, it is natural that sufferers should experience some anxiety. Again, some studies have found that pre-existing anxiety disorder may make vestibular disorders worse.

    Cognitive symptoms, vestibular disorders and depression

    • The Vestibular Disease Association (VEDA) says that people with vestibular disorders are prone to cognitive problems like memory loss, difficulty concentrating and difficulty sequencing information. These symptoms can be as debilitating as the physical symptoms and may also lead to depression and anxiety.

    Treatments

    • Some people with vestibular disorders and depression or anxiety respond to certain antidepressants such as fluoxetine. Others respond to cognitive therapy in which clinicians teach them strategies to help them manage and store incoming information for later retrieval. While it may be necessary to learn to live with vestibular disorders, one need not succumb to the depression and anxiety associated with them.

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