Shields has mild dyslexia, "mild to extreme" tinnitus, and tendonitis in his left hand. He contracted tinnitus during the mixing of "Loveless" in 1991. Though initially worried about the condition, Shields has said he has "come to treat the tinnitus as a friend. It filters unwanted sounds and actually protects my ears. It becomes your first line of defence against audible stress." He said his tendonitis, which he has since 1988, is relieved "once you start to immerse yourself in the sound, any discomfort just disappears." In the mid-1990s, Shields said his musical hiatus was because of mental illness but later he said this statement did not specify "whose mental illness" was the problem. He said "I'm crazy but I'm not mentally ill."