Understanding Functional Hearing Loss
Usually, hearing loss is due to abnormalities in the auditory system. One could have a ruptured eardrum or middle ear bone abnormality or acoustic trauma in the cochlea, but there are times when one seemingly sustains hearing loss without apparent damage in the ear structures.
Functional hearing loss is a condition wherein an individual does not respond to auditory stimuli but has normal hearing structures—no damage whatsoever. This type of hearing loss is a product of emotional or psychological distress or issues rather than otological malfunctioning. While these people don’t respond to sound, their hearing function is actually normal when evaluated in hearing tests.
The problem with functional hearing loss is its oddness. Even doctors have difficulty recognizing it. Also, there is trouble classifying the condition, and it challenges many physicians and experts in the field of audiology or otolaryngology.
When hearing loss is due to an emotional problem, treatment is generally tricky because there is a need to pin down the psychological culprit that gives rise to the condition. Appropriate therapy can only begin after an ordered comprehensive psychological assessment yields substantial results. Otherwise, medical practitioners are at lost and left aiming in the dark.
This non-organic hearing loss in children occurs as a result of seeking personal attention in the same way that troubled kids seek their parent’s attention by displaying unacceptable and strange behavior. These children may be adept at failing audiological examinations.
