A TINNITUS sufferer is appealing for fellow sufferers who are interested in forming a new support group to come forward.

Michael Irvine, 62, would like to speak to anyone who lives with the hearing condition which causes a ringing sound in the ear.

The nearest support group for tinnitus sufferers is in Bournemouth.

Mr Irvine, of Westham, Weymouth, was diagnosed with the condition six years ago.

He said: “I started hearing a little sound in my head and it gradually got worse.

“After a month or two it became constant and I had two hearing aids fitted.

“One in five people between 55 and 65 years old have it. I’ve learned to live with it and I’m on top of it but it does drag you right down.

“Having a support group would be like a little bit of therapy.”

Retired taxi driver Mr Irvine said the suicide rate among people with tinnitus is higher than the average rate.

“Tinnitus is like a form of mental torture. Sometimes the only way I can get to sleep at night is to have a drink.

“There’s a terrible suicide rate among people with tinnitus.

“I went to a meeting in Bristol and found out that a lot of people commit suicide because they have tinnitus,” he said.

Mr Irvine hopes to set up a support group in Weymouth for tinnitus sufferers who live anywhere in West Dorset.

He said: “It can be quite isolated here and it’s so hard for people to understand what tinnitus is like unless they have it themselves.

“It’s something that’s with you 24/7 and a lot of people say that a support group is the best way to deal with it.”

Scottish-born Mr Irvine has taken part in a medical trial in Nottingham that is designed to help people living with tinnitus.

He said: “They can make devices they can put in your ear but for me that hasn’t worked out yet.”

Mr Irvine proposes setting up the support group in the communal room of his sheltered accommodation.

Anyone who is interested in forming the group should call Mr Irvine on 0797 5709929.