Abstract:

Tinnitus is one of the most common complaints in otolaryngology practice. Tinnitus may often be accompanied with hearing loss and vertigo. Tinnitus may impair the quality of life in advanced degrees. In very rare cases, it may cause suicide. In this report, we presented the case of a 61-year-old female patient who attempted suicide due to tinnitus. She suffered from constant tinnitus in both ears since she had undergone serous otitis media two months ago. Despite medical treatment, tinnitus did not improve, and lately, she suffered from severe insomnia. Due to severe tinnitus and insomnia, she drank hydrochloric acid. She was consequently admitted to our emergency department by her family. On physical examination, the patient’s vital signs were stable and floor of the mouth mucosa, gingiva, and hard and soft palate had widely ulcerated areas. Severe laryngeal edema and ulceration was observed on laryngoscopic examination. The eardrum was myringosclerotic on otoscopic examination. The patient was closely followed for respiratory distress; however, tracheostomy was not required. The abovementioned case suggests that patients admitted with complaints of tinnitus should be questioned for severity of depressive symptoms, considering that the presence of depressive symptoms in these patients may result in an attempt of suicide. These patients should be evaluated not only in otolaryngology clinics but also in psychiatric clinics, and subsequently receive appropriate support.

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