New online support for hyperacusis

An innovative new package of self-guided online support and information has been launched to help people with hyperacusis – severe sensitivity to everyday sounds – and those that care for them. 



The ishush (internet self-help, understanding and support for hyperacusis) website has been developed by hearing experts at the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) in Nottingham. It has been created to support people who live with a condition that - at its extreme - experience sound “like a knife in the ear,” and to improve understanding of hyperacusis. 
ishush has also been created to help people who are newly experiencing hyperacusis – which is not always formally diagnosed - so they can get the information they need straight away. 

Up to 14% of the population across Europe are thought to experience some form of hyperacusis, leading to severe discomfort triggered by everyday sounds such as car noise, doors shutting or keys being dropped on the floor. Even the sound of their own voices or partner’s voice can become overwhelming for some people. The reaction to the sound often leads patients to become fearful, withdraw from social situations and work, and experience anxiety and depression. 



Dr Kathryn Fackrell from the NIHR BRC Nottingham’s Hearing Research Theme has been working on an NIHR Fellowship dedicated to research into hyperacusis. She says: “Through our research programme, we have identified the need for a self-management resource for people living with hyperacusis. At its most extreme, this condition – which is less well known than tinnitus, another hearing condition – can create acute trauma and long-term impact on quality of life for people who have it. 

“The content on this website has been developing through close input from people with the condition and healthcare professionals who care for them; and it will continue to evolve.” 
“The key objective is the desire for people with hyperacusis to be able to enjoy more of the things and activities that matter to them, and new experiences, rather than retreat from situations they usually find stressful because of their reaction to sounds.” 
 


For more information, see the ishush website is at: https://ishush.ac.uk.