Here is a link to an interesting abstract drawing a link between Tinnitus and PostTraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Researchers observed an interesting set of similarities between the way tinnitus and PTSD affect the auditory system:
Similarities between the way PTSD and tinnitus influence auditory behaviors include exaggerated startle responses and decreased loudness tolerance. Tinnitus loudness is often exacerbated by sounds that trigger PTSD-related anxiety.
This paper underscores the complexity of tinnitus: what once may have been viewed a simple problem affecting the ear has increasingly been shown to a highly complex pathological abnormality of the brain. As always, the scientific research on tinnitus continues to surprise us. Cheers, AudioNotch.