Are vertigo and balance disorders linked with mental health problems
Do patients with vertigo and balance disorders have mental health problems?
Having vertigo and/or a balance problem can produce some anxiety in even well-adjusted individuals due to the sense of being out of control of the body and not well grounded with reference to gravity.
This kind of problem is relatively common. Particular situations where visual acuity is reduced can be problematic such as driving in rain, snow, or fog.
Some patients feel uncomfortable in open areas without useful visual verticals or in areas with real or virtual visual motion such as large screen theaters or moving escalators. In some cases patients are so distressed that the anxiety prevents them from functioning.
Depersonalization and derealization symptoms have been seen in significantly greater rates in patients with vestibular disorders than in the controls.
Counseling by a licensed mental health care provider, such as a masters- or PhD-level psychologist, can be beneficial in reducing the anxiety caused by having the symptoms of vestibular disorders.
Therefore, particularly anxious patients should be referred for counseling. Focused behavioral therapy, in particular, has been shown to be effective.
