Believe it or not, in an era of using technology to battle hearing loss, there are actually people who *want* to be deaf. Yahoo has a group just for them: The Deaf Wannabe group. This is an adults-only group. Plus, I just received this e-mail from an About Deafness visitor:
"I was wondering what I could do to destroy the auditory nerve without having surgery. Could I take hazardous drugs? Could I light my eardrum with a match? Could I pour poisonous chemicals in my ears? If no, what should I do? I want to be totally deaf. I have tried exposing them to really high intensity sound to damage them, but the hearing keeps coming back."
Needless to say, I told the person they shouldn't try to damage their hearing as they may miss it someday...
Once you get over your initial shock and disbelief, hop over to the forum to discuss this...
these people probably have a psychological disorder, maybe similar to [body dysmorphic disorder](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_dysmorphic_disorder). i wouldn’t say that they’re necessarily stupid or wrong. i think that if not being deaf makes them unhappy to the point that it interferes with their daily life, then they should seek medical help to safely deafen themselves.
Well, I can sympathize. I have Soft Sound Sensitivity Syndrome, which means I get angry and upset when I hear little sounds. On more that one occasion I’ve wanted to be deaf so I wouldn’t be upset all the time. So yes, there ARE justifications to this desire!
I am actually one of these people.. Some people who are deaf wannabes may have some sort of psychological illness or something. I would like to be deaf because I just feel more comfortable in the deaf community and using sign language instead or verbal language. As much as I would like to become deaf, I think it’s horrible that people are willing to hurt themselves in order to become deaf. That’s very dangerous. Scientists have been able to give the Deaf community the ability to hear, I think they need to find a way to safely give deaf wannabes the ability to become deaf without harming themselves.
Only someone who suffers from noise can understand how awful it is. My whole life revolves around protecting myself from noise. There is no hearing protection that works. It’s really a nightmare. I wish I were deaf. You can’t imagine how much.
I don’t have any physiological problems or diseases but my mother is deaf, and sign language is much more beautiful and descriptive then just saying the words.
I have done some research myself on how to become deaf (Which is how I stumbled on here) and some sites say “Doctors must do no harm, so they can’t take hearing away.” But some sites such as this say doctors can help you lose hearing….Does it depend on the doctor?
Hey guys my name is Kirstin and I am 18. I was born hearing but I developed a disorder called ‘Temoporomandibular hoint disorder’ which caused me to lose hearing in my left ear when I was in the fourth grade, When I was in the fifth grade I began to lose the hearng in my right ear and I got really scared because I thought I would become deaf. My parents had me transfered to all deaf school just incase and I began learning sign language in middle school I went to a hearing school and was given an interpreter and so on threw the rest of my schooling. I am not fluent in sign language I only know enough to get me by and I would love to futher educate myself if anyone can assist me. I do not feel comfortable talking because I can not hear my own voice. I am classified as hard of hearing though I cant hear a thing unless you place your mouth on my ear and speak or loud noises. I read all these atticles about people wanting to become deaf and I think its crazy. Now I myself want to become deaf because it strains me to try and hear people which causes horrific head aches so Id rather not try at all. but we cant judge people they are obviosly not happy as them selves so they want to be someone else
I’ve always had some degree of sound sensitivity…ear infections as a baby through my early teens (until I could treat myself) were ignored.
Exposure to jet sounds at an airport, and my screaming with my hands over my ears, is one of my first memories in life.
The overlapping names and symptoms of it seems to show to me how it is not truly understood. Even by one very rude MD supposedly specializing in hearing disorders (he kept raising his voice with me, though he was already too loud, even when I put my fingers in my ears).
Yes…one DOES want to hear NOTHING if it doesn’t amount to anything. Speach from about 70 percent of people is garbled, and most think shouting at you will help you to understand them when it only makes you want to step back several feet.
Hearing aids only add to the volume.
No, nothing mentally wrong with someone with this to just wish to cut out all sound.
I’ve even had it suggested, carefully, by a doctor friend … wondering if I’d considered having my hearing somehow surgically ‘terminated’. I definitely am thinking about it.
Anyone who would deny this is a problem, just really is insensitive and ignorant. This condition causes your world to be constant cacaphony, with no value or use for what sounds are heard…they are just painful~~!