What Are The Symptoms Of Hyperacusis?

Panic Attacks

Panic attacks aren't a necessary symptom for diagnosing hyperacusis, though they are a serious issue that can occur in hyperacusis patients. Exposure to triggering sounds can cause great increases in an individual's stress. When sounds are constantly bombarding individuals at varying volumes and causing potential pain, it's easy to become startled or overstimulated. Many individuals with hyperacusis have panic attacks. In one study, eighty-nine percent of the patients stated they avoid noisy situations because of the stress they cause. Eighty-two percent reported they use hearing protection in situations that don't generally warrant hearing protection, like social situations, riding on public transportation, and driving a car. Fifty-six percent of the respondents met the diagnostic criteria for a minimum of one mental illness, and of the thirty-five patients who met these criteria, twenty-nine of them had an anxiety disorder. Social phobia presented most commonly, followed by generalized anxiety, with the third being agoraphobia. Panic attacks are debilitating episodes of panic and anxiety that present with physical symptoms. Affected individuals may have chest pain, trouble breathing, excessive sweating, and dizziness. A panic attack subsides within ten minutes, but the symptoms are often serious enough to be mistaken for a heart attack.

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