Intersection of Mental Health and Dysphonia: A Scoping Review

Saisree Ravi; Vanessa Lopez; Kathleen V Carter; Stephanie A Sharpe; Deepu George; Barbara Ebersole; Michael Machiorlatti; Nausheen Jamal

doi:10.1016/j.jvoice.2023.04.007

Intersection of Mental Health and Dysphonia: A Scoping Review

J Voice. 2023 May 18:S0892-1997(23)00130-3. doi: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2023.04.007. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Saisree Ravi¹, Vanessa Lopez², Kathleen V Carter², Stephanie A Sharpe², Deepu George², Barbara Ebersole³, Michael Machiorlatti², Nausheen Jamal²

Affiliations

¹ School of Medicine, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, Texas. Electronic address: saisree.ravi01@utrgv.edu.
² School of Medicine, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, Texas.
³ Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Speech Pathology and Audiology Section, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.

PMID: 37210321
DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2023.04.007

Abstract

Objective: Previous research has indicated that voice disorders frequently co-occur with mental health disorders, which may influence voice treatment seeking behavior and effectiveness. Our goal is to characterize the existing literature on the relationship between voice disorders and mental health and to investigate nuances related to mental health and voice disorder diagnosis.

Data sources: Ovid MEDLINE, ProQuest PsycINFO, and Web of Science.

Review methods: Using the PRISMA protocol, a scoping review was performed. Databases searched included: Ovid MEDLINE, ProQuest PsycINFO, and Web of Science. Our inclusion criteria were all adults seen in an outpatient setting for voice and mental health disorders, excluding those with a prior history of head and neck surgery, cancers, radiation, or developmental anomalies, and certain mental health disorders. Results were screened by two independent screeners for inclusion. Data were then extracted and analyzed to present key findings and characteristics.

Results: A total of 156 articles, with publication dates ranging from 1938 to 2021, were included in the analysis, with females and teachers being the most described population groups. The most frequently studied laryngeal disorders were dysphonia (n = 107, 68.6%), globus (n = 33, 21.2%), and dysphonia with globus (n = 16, 10.2%). The two most common mental health disorders found in the included studies were anxiety disorders (n = 123, 78.8%) and mood disorders (n = 111, 71.2%). The Voice Handicap Index was the most used tool to gather data on voice disorders (n = 36, 23.1%), while the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale was the most used tool to gather data on mental health disorders (n = 20, 12.8%). The populations studied within the included articles were predominately female and worked in educational occupations. Race and ethnicity was only reported for 10.2% of included articles (n = 16) and the most commonly studied race was White/Caucasian (n = 13, 8.3%).

Conclusion: Our scoping review of the current literature on mental health and voice disorders reveals an intersection between the conditions. The current literature represents change over time in terms of terminology that recognizes the patient's individualized experience of mental health and laryngeal conditions. However, there is still a great deal of homogeneity in the studied patient populations in terms of race and gender, with patterns and gaps that require further investigation.

Keywords: Anxiety; Dysphonia; Globus; Laryngeal complaints; Mental health; Scoping review.

Publication types

Review