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As an otolaryngologist, I treat people with tinnitus daily. People do have a broad range of reactions to it. The first step is a proper audiologic assessment which sounds like has been done. As ear physicians and surgeons, this is a tough one for us to treat because no one thing helps in everyone.
Stress makes it worse and her stress over the condition is likely making it so. I have found that patients that respond this way often have underlying issues that counseling often plays a role. I have had patients with suicidal tinnitus that have benefited less from anything I did and more from what a psychologist or psychiatrist could offer. Exploring what is going on in her life holistically outside of the tinnitus itself may provide benefit.
Also, there are tinnitus rehabilitation centers around the country that specialize in difficult to manage tinnitus using biofeedback and special noise-canceling hearing aids. This is a manageable condition and hope should not be lost; however, each person responds to different management strategies in different ways.
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