People with vestibular vertigo are prone to anxiety and depression, with female gender, higher educational level, poorer sleep quality, and more severe vestibular symptoms as risk factors for anxiety, and non-BPPV diagnosis, poorer sleep quality, and more severe vestibular symptoms as risk factors for depression.
Among patients with vestibular vertigo, the incidences of anxiety and depression were 40.47% and 42.79% respectively.
Male gender was negatively correlated with the occurrence of anxiety in vestibular vertigo patients.
Higher educational level was positively correlated with the occurrence of anxiety in vestibular vertigo patients.
Poorer sleep quality (higher PSQI scores) was positively correlated with the occurrence of both anxiety and depression in vestibular vertigo patients.
More severe vestibular symptoms (higher DHI scores) were positively correlated with the occurrence of both anxiety and depression.
Non-BPPV diagnosis was positively correlated with the occurrence of depression in vestibular vertigo patients.
The study identified distinct risk factor profiles for anxiety versus depression in vestibular vertigo patients.
This research suggests that psychological problems are very common among people who experience vestibular vertigo (dizziness caused by inner ear or balance system disorders). In a study of 215 such patients, more than 40% showed signs of anxiety and more than 42% showed signs of depression — rates considerably higher than in the general population. The researchers used standardized questionnaires to measure anxiety, depression, sleep quality, and the impact of dizziness on daily life. The study found that certain groups of patients are at higher risk for these mental health issues. Women and patients with higher levels of education were more likely to experience anxiety. Patients who had worse sleep quality and more severe dizziness symptoms were at greater risk for both anxiety and depression. Patients whose vestibular vertigo was caused by conditions other than benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) — a common and typically treatable form of vertigo — were more likely to experience depression, possibly because non-BPPV conditions tend to be more chronic or harder to treat. This research suggests that healthcare providers treating vestibular vertigo should routinely screen patients for anxiety and depression, especially women, those with higher education, those with poor sleep, and those with more severe or non-BPPV vestibular conditions. Addressing mental health alongside physical symptoms may be important for helping these patients fully recover and improve their quality of life.
Zhuang Y, Ge Z, Zhang X, Shi S, Li W, Guo P. (2026). [Investigation on characteristics and influencing factors in anxiety and depression among patients with common vestibular vertigo].. Lin chuang er bi yan hou tou jing wai ke za zhi = Journal of clinical otorhinolaryngology head and neck surgery. https://doi.org/10.13201/j.issn.2096-7993.2026.02.005