Chronic tinnitus is often accompanied by considerable psychological burden, including anxiety, depression, and impaired quality of life. Mindfulness-based therapy has attracted growing attention as a potential psychological intervention for tinnitus management....
Mindfulness-based therapy shows promise for reducing psychological distress in chronic tinnitus patients, but the narrative (non-systematic) review design limits strong practice recommendations; audiologists may cautiously consider it as an adjunct to existing counseling approaches.
As tinnitus management increasingly incorporates psychological support, this review consolidates evidence for mindfulness as a scalable, low-risk adjunct that addresses the mental health burden often overlooked in audiological care.
- 01Narrative review synthesizes evidence for mindfulness-based therapy in chronic tinnitus management.
- 02Mindfulness may reduce tinnitus-related anxiety and depression, key drivers of patient distress.
- 03Review methodology is narrative, not systematic, limiting the strength of conclusions.
- 04Mindfulness complements, but does not replace, established tinnitus therapies (e.g., CBT, sound therapy).
- 05Psychological co-morbidities in tinnitus patients may be an underserved target for intervention.
Mindfulness-based therapy can reduce anxiety and depression associated with chronic tinnitus.
studypartially supportedMindfulness-based therapy reduces the psychological burden of chronic tinnitus.
studypartially supported- PMID
- 42183495
- DOI
- 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1738053.
- Journal
- Frontiers in Psychology
- Publication type
- review
- Evidence level
- 5
- Population
- Adults with chronic tinnitus experiencing psychological burden including anxiety and depression
- Intervention
- Mindfulness-based therapy
Primary outcomes
Reduction in tinnitus-associated anxiety; Reduction in tinnitus-associated depression; Overall psychological burden of chronic tinnitus