PTSD and APD

Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is a disorder that can develop after someone witnesses or experiences a traumatic or terrifying event. Given the nature of combat and war zone environments, Service members are at heightened risk for PTSD. Because hearing loss can sometimes have an isolating effect and tinnitus can be stressful, both can aggravate PTSD symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, obsession, and sleep disturbances.

Auditory processing disorder, or APD, is a complex problem affecting the way the central nervous system recognizes and interprets sound, most notably the sounds composing speech. A person with APD has faulty processing of the information they hear because their ears and brain may not fully coordinate the information. People with APD display a number of behaviors similar to the symptoms associated with sensorineural hearing loss, which can lead to misdiagnosis and ineffective treatments.