When someone has a serious problem that I don't know enough about, my instinct thells me not to say anything, to avoid being silly.
But I also know that my instinct is wrong, and that the person will be able to see my good intentions even if I say something stupid
So, my humble opinion is that humankind can't be so superficial that nobody can get over your deafness. You may have been seeking friends among the wrong kind of persons?

Just to be even more stupid, here is another weird idea:
There is one thing that I do that implies deep communication and doesn't require talking/hearing. It is the practice of Aikido, a japanese martial art. Communication takes place through contact, and with experience you learn to sense the attitude of your enemy/partner very well. As a matter of fact, when I'm in a depressive episode, my most experienced colleagues can guess immediately that something is wrong with me.
You may want to give it a try. Aikido is for EVERYBODY.

The best of luck