Do you know anyone who suffered from hearing loss? Or do you know someone constantly worried about how their hearing may deteriorate in the future? Are you tired of people commenting on your hearing or about the condition waiting for you if your hearing doesn’t improve soon? These are all side effects of being an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) professional.
However, most people don’t see it that way. Instead, they see us as “hearing specialists” and think of us as strange. But why? And why now? The answer goes back a few decades to when fear-of-medicine campaigns took over a lot of media outlets. This article will shed some light on what caused the stigma against ENTs and how to deal with it.
Why Is There a Stigma of Hearing Loss and Hearing Aids?
According to New Hampshire Hearing Institute audiologists, hearing loss and hearing aids are part of the human condition. No one is born with perfect hearing, and hearing aids help millions of people with hearing loss. Unfortunately, some people have a negative reaction to hearing aids and hearing loss. These people decide to stigmatize the condition or person. They may even try to make others feel ashamed of it.
The stigma of hearing loss and hearing aids is closely connected to the stigma of mental illness. When someone has hearing loss, some people may assume that the person also has a “real” mental illness, like anxiety or a neurotic personality. Some may even assume that the person is “selfish” or “self-indulgent” for needing hearing aids. When someone wears hearing aids, some people will assume that the person is “dumb” or “stupid.” This is especially prevalent among teenagers and young adults who may feel embarrassed or ashamed of hearing aids.
There are many reasons why someone might stigmatize someone with hearing loss or wear hearing aids. But the main cause of stigma is usually the person’s ignorance or discomfort with an unknown situation. Avoiding an uncomfortable situation is usually the reason why people stigmatize other people.
Theories on the Cause of Stigma
Many experts believe that the fear-of-medicine campaigns of the 1970s and 80s cause the stigma of hearing loss and hearing aids. These campaigns claimed that people who experience hearing loss have a “real” mental illness and should take medication for it. The fear-of-medicine campaigns caused a lot of misunderstanding, fear, and even a “real” stigma against people who wear hearing aids and have hearing loss. This stigma was very harmful because it was based on fear and ignorance. It made many people who are now perfectly healthy feel ashamed of their condition and wear hearing aids as a form of punishment.
Examples of Fear-of-Medicine Campaigns in Literature
The most vivid example of the fear-of-medicine campaign is the U.S. government’s infamous “Your Brain on Drugs” campaign. The purpose of this campaign was to encourage people to take the government’s anti-drug message seriously, even if they didn’t want to take drugs. The campaign stated that people who take drugs would eventually lose their ability to think clearly. This “real” stigma caused many people to wear hearing aids or have hearing loss because it made them feel “stupid” for needing them.
Another example of the fear-of-medicine campaign is the “Wearing a White Coat” campaign. This campaign was started in the late 1980s to discourage teens from becoming doctors. In this campaign, the government and the medical profession made teens feel shame for wearing a white coat. This “real” stigma of wearing hearing aids, or having hearing loss, caused many teens and young adults to avoid the profession and wear hearing aids as a form of punishment.
How to Handle the Stigma of Hearing Loss and Hearing Aids
The first thing to remember when someone stigmatizes someone who has hearing loss or wears hearing aids is that you should respond calmly and respectfully. Do not lie. Do not fake it. If someone gives you a hard time with your hearing or hearing aids, just smile and nod and try to change the topic. You may find that they will eventually get bored or tired of the subject.
The next thing to remember is to educate your friends, family, and colleagues about hearing loss and hearing aids. Many people have a negative view of hearing aids because they think that hearing aids are for “retarded people” or that everyone with hearing loss should be institutionalized.
Conclusion
The stigma of hearing loss and hearing aids isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. But we can learn something from it. We can learn that ignorance is something that can be educated away. We can learn that we will never be fully “normal” while wearing hearing aids and that this is okay. We can also learn to be patient with people and not expect them to understand immediately.