Özet:

Aim: In our study, we aimed to examine the amplification levels of somatic symptoms in patients with tinnitus, the presence and severity of depressive symptoms, and alexithymia by comparing them with healthy controls. Material and Methods: Patients diagnosed with tinnitus in the Ear Nose Throat and Head Neck Surgery outpatient clinic and healthy controls that could match the demographic data were included in our study. 141 people in total; 80 patients with tinnitus and 61 healthy control groups were included. To all participants, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the Somatosensory Amplification Scale (SAS), and Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) were applied. Results: The SAS scores of the patient and healthy control groups were not statistically different. For TAS-20, although the scores in the subscales were calculated high in the patient group, a statistically significant difference was found only in the total score (p=0.015). Although the depression scale score was higher in the patient group, no statistically significant difference was detected (Patients group=13.00; control group=11.00; p=0.084). THI, BDI, SAS, and TAS-20 total scores and difficulty in recognizing emotions sub-dimension scores were positively correlated (r values respectively=0.537; 0.271; 0.222; 0.427, and p values respectively; p<0.01; p<0.05; p<0.05; p<0.01). Conclusion: Based on the results we obtained, in addition to routine diagnosis and treatment procedures, it is recommended that patients with tinnitus be carefully evaluated psychologically, the existing psychiatric symptoms.