Psychotherapy Quiets Concerns Over Ringing in the Ears

Psychotherapy may help tinnitus sufferers cope with the life disturbances that sometimes accompany their condition, according to a new review of studies.

Tinnitus is a sensation of ringing or other noise when there is no external cause for the sound. A counseling method called cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT seems to amplify patients' quality of life, even when the volume of the noise remains the same.

"It's a way of working on beliefs and changing psychological responses to tinnitus," said lead reviewer Pablo Martinez-Devesa. "Usually you'd assess the patient