VII Interdisciplinary pilot study of nonorganic hearing loss

An attempt was made to describe the individual with nonorganic hearing loss by means of a comparison of two groups of male armed forces veterans, one of which previously had responded inconsistently to auditory stimuli, the other of which had shown consistent auditory behavior. Comparisons were made on data resulting from examinations in the areas of audiology, neurology, otology, psychiatry and psychology. The most salient characteristics exhibited by the subjects with inconsistent auditory behavior were: 1. Deviant neuro-sensory signs. 2. Evidence of psychological abnormality as judged by psychological testing and psychiatric evaluation. 3. No difference from control subjects 10 predisposing factors. 4. Reports of sequelae to head injuries which appear to be disproportionate when compared to the extent of the injuries themselves. Although it is not possible to cite the specific etiologies of nonorganic hearing loss from the results of the present study, the data suggest that psychodynamic or neurosensory factors may be present in individuals who present an inconsistent audiologic picture.