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Tinnitus Clarified

Self-assessment

Tinnitus Impact Self-Check

15 questions on how tinnitus affects your concentration, sleep, mood and sense of control, each answered never, sometimes or often. The total is a rough band to take to an appointment, not a diagnosis.

  • About 2 minutes
  • Nothing is saved or sent anywhere
  • Not the clinical THI

How often does each of these happen?

0 of 15 answered. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

1.Does tinnitus make it hard to concentrate on things you need to do?
2.Does it interfere with falling asleep or staying asleep?
3.Do you avoid quiet places because your tinnitus becomes more noticeable there?
4.Does it make it harder to follow conversations, especially in groups?
5.Do you feel less able to enjoy activities you used to enjoy?
6.Does thinking about your tinnitus make you feel frustrated?
7.Do you feel anxious or on edge because of it?
8.Does it make you feel irritable with people around you?
9.Do you feel down or discouraged because of it?
10.Do you worry about how it might affect your future?
11.Does it ever feel like too much to cope with?
12.Do you feel like you have little control over it?
13.Have you felt desperate for relief from it?
14.Does it make it hard to feel at ease anywhere?
15.Do you worry it's a sign of something seriously wrong?

What this measures

15 questions across three areas: how tinnitus affects daily function (concentration, sleep, conversation), how it affects mood (frustration, anxiety, discouragement), and its overall impact (feeling overwhelmed, out of control). That structure mirrors the broad domains validated clinical tinnitus-severity questionnaires generally cover — it isn't a reproduction of any specific one.

Based on which clinical concept?

The Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), introduced by Newman and colleagues in 1996, is the most widely used tinnitus questionnaire in the world — 25 items across Functional, Emotional, and Catastrophic subscales, scored 0–100, with internal consistency research has found very high (Cronbach's alpha above 0.90). Our check is written around the same broad idea — structured self-report across functional and emotional impact — using our own original 15 questions and scoring, not the THI's actual items.

What your score means

A low score is a reassuring pattern, not a clean bill of health. A higher score is a signal worth acting on — bringing it to an audiologist or doctor rather than treating the number itself as a verdict. This check doesn't produce a validated severity classification the way a clinically scored THI does. For what happens at that appointment, see your first audiology appointment.

Why tracking impact matters

Tinnitus loudness and tinnitus distress are genuinely different things — plenty of people with objectively loud tinnitus cope well, and some with quiet tinnitus struggle significantly. Impact-focused questions like these get closer to what actually determines whether treatment is needed, and how urgently. See tinnitus and anxiety for how the emotional side of that loop tends to work.

Limits of self-assessment

Self-scored, informal checks like this one aren't validated diagnostic instruments — they haven't been through the psychometric testing that gives the real THI its reliability. Treat a high score as a reason to seek an evaluation, not as a diagnosis in itself.

When should you seek a professional evaluation?

If tinnitus is affecting sleep, concentration, or mood on a regular basis — or if any answer surprised you — that's worth a real conversation with an audiologist or doctor, regardless of the exact score.

Common questions

Is this the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI)?

No. The THI is a copyrighted, clinically administered 25-item questionnaire and the most widely used tinnitus-severity instrument in research and clinical practice. This is an original 15-question check written for this site, covering the same broad areas — functional, emotional, and overall impact — but with our own wording, scale, and scoring, not a reproduction of the THI.

What does my score mean?

It's a rough band — minimal, mild, moderate, or significant impact — meant to prompt reflection, not deliver a diagnosis. The real THI, administered and scored by a clinician, is what gives a validated severity classification.

Should I bring my result to an appointment?

Yes — it's a reasonable starting point for describing how tinnitus is actually affecting you, which is exactly the kind of detail a first audiology appointment tries to establish.

Sources

  • Tinnitus assessment by means of standardized self-report questionnaires. PMC

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