听力师对听力损失个体自杀意念筛查的重要性

文献信息

中文摘要

目的： 听力损失日益被视为一种慢性健康状况，其心理社会后果超出听觉功能受损本身，包括社会隔离、孤独感、生活质量下降和抑郁。新出现的流行病学证据提示，听力损失个体可能也存在自杀意念风险升高，尤其是当沟通困难与抑郁和社会退缩并存时。尽管有这些发现，听力师在识别高危个体中的作用受到的关注仍然有限。本观点文章旨在为听力师在听力损失个体中早期识别自杀意念的作用提供循证依据，并提出在听力学实践中开展针对性自杀风险筛查的实用框架。
结论： 听力师通过持续参与听力评估、康复、耳鸣管理和长期随访，处于识别心理困扰并促进及时转诊以进行全面心理健康评估的有利位置。我们倡导采用针对性而非普遍性的自杀风险筛查方法，对存在已确立的心理社会或临床危险因素的个体使用简短的经过验证的工具。重要的是，筛查被提议作为识别需要转诊患者的手段，不应被解释为替代全面的心理健康评估，也不应被解释为将听力师的工作范围扩展至精神科诊断或治疗。将此类方法整合到听力学服务中，可能对更广泛的自杀预防工作做出有意义的贡献。

英文摘要

PURPOSE: Hearing loss is increasingly recognized as a chronic health condition with psychosocial consequences that extend beyond impaired auditory function, including social isolation, loneliness, reduced quality of life, and depression. Emerging epidemiological evidence suggests that individuals with hearing loss may also be at an increased risk of suicidal ideation, particularly when communication difficulties coexist with depression and social withdrawal. Despite these findings, the role of audiologists in identifying individuals at risk has received limited attention. This viewpoint aims to present an evidence-based rationale for the role of audiologists in the early identification of suicidal ideation among individuals with hearing loss and to propose a practical framework for targeted suicide risk screening within audiology practice.
CONCLUSIONS: Audiologists, through their ongoing involvement in hearing assessment, rehabilitation, tinnitus management, and long-term follow-up, are well positioned to recognize psychological distress and facilitate timely referral for comprehensive mental health evaluation. We advocate for a targeted, rather than universal, suicide risk screening approach using brief validated instruments among individuals presenting with established psychosocial or clinical risk factors. Importantly, screening is proposed as a means of identifying patients who require referral and should not be interpreted as replacing comprehensive mental health assessment or expanding the audiologist's scope into psychiatric diagnosis or treatment. Integrating such approaches into audiology services may meaningfully contribute to broader suicide prevention efforts.