The
term “misophonia” (or
selective sound sensitivity syndrome) is the psychological condition that literally means
hatred of sounds. It is a recently
identified disorder of the auditory central nervous system. It causes
people to have strong feelings of rage, hatred, fear, and distress when met
with certain "trigger" sounds like chewing or incessant pen clicking that most people
naturally filter away.
Misophonia starts in early childhood.
The trigger sounds are bothersome from a young age and get worse over the years
into adulthood. Because it starts so early, misophonia creates extreme
emotional problems and negative thinking around sounds that becomes much more
difficult to treat over time. No one knows why it happens. There are five main
categories of trigger sounds.
They are: mouth sounds like chewing
and slurping, breathing noises like nose whistling, vocal noise like humming,
body movements like knuckle cracking and miscellaneous irritants like crumpling
snack wrappers and typing. Here
are warning signs of someone that might have misophonia:
1. This
person shows extreme sensitivity to specific types of sounds. These
sounds can include lip smacking, chewing, sniffing, breathing, snoring, typing,
or pen clicking.
2. When
this person is exposed to a sound which elicits this automatic reaction, they
have a clear physical response. This response is beyond their self-control,
indicating pain, pressure, and/or discomfort. Accompanying emotional
responses tend to include disgust, anger, and irritability.
3. This
person tries to escape if they witness someone making the trigger sound.
For example, they may run from a room where someone is chewing.
4. This
person takes steps in advance to avoid the trigger sounds. For example, they
may scan for people who are chewing, avoid restaurants/movie theatres where
others may be chewing, avoid certain people, and avoid other situations where
the trigger might arise. They may avoid mealtime. Misophonia has been
associated with eating disorders.
5. While
not always the case, it has been noted that some children don’t react when they
produce the same trigger. As such, this person may mimic the trigger
noise in an attempt to lessen their own painful response to it.
6. Their
reactions seem to worsen over time, and while they may begin to include extreme
disgust and anger when triggered, they can evolve into panic
responses when escape or avoidance of trigger noises is not an option. In
addition, this person may develop misokinesias (hatred of physical movements
made by others) especially when these movements accompany the trigger sound
(seeing someone chewing can become as aversive as hearing someone chewing).
7. Their
reactions can impair this person’s ability to function with family, friends,
and in general social circumstances.
A known cure for misophonia does not
currently exist, but several treatments for misophonia have proven effective in
lessening the condition’s severity to improve the person’s quality of life.
These therapies include the following:
§ Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT): TRT
helps teach misophonic people how to improve their ability to tolerate trigger
sounds. It combines sound therapy with counseling, positive sound protocols,
noise generators, and more. Pleasant sounds are introduced into the ear
canal, and the patient is taught to create positive associations with trigger
sounds through practice and intentional rethinking. Although primarily used to treat people
with tinnitus and hyperacusis, TRT has also proven successful in
treating people with misophonia.
§ Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Commonly used in conjunction with
TRT. This form of therapy attempts to alter the negative thoughts of the
misophonic person to decrease the person’s suffering. The healthcare provider
works to pair trigger sounds with positive experiences.
§ Medications: Pharmaceutical treatments for
misophonia include Lyrica, which has been reported as very helpful, and
Klonopin, which has been reported as somewhat helpful. Most healthcare
providers prefer not to treat misophonia with medications.
§ Lifestyle Changes: The
Misophonia Association lists some lifestyle changes that may
help reduce the effects of misophonia: vigorous exercise, a healthy diet, a
regular sleep schedule, sound protection (when needed), misophonia
support groups, and family counseling.
“How
do you politely say...The way you’re chewing makes me want to throw up for the
rest of my life?” (CanIGetAnotherBottleofWhine.com)[i]
[i] Sources used:
·
“14 Worst Triggers of Misophonia” by SimplyHealth.io
·
“6 things to know about misophonia” By Ariel Scotti
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