What it is:
Misophonia is a condition characterized by reduced tolerance to specific sounds or associated stimuli (e.g., visuals associated with sounds such as chewing). Adults with misophonia report intense physiological (e.g., increased heart rate, muscle tension) and emotional (most often anger and anxiety) responses to specific sounds. They report that a wide array of sounds can produce misophonic reactions, with the most common sounds being eating and breathing-related noises.
While not formally recognized as a medical or psychiatric diagnosis, this condition can cause a great deal of distress and impairment. Adults with misophonia are often embarrassed by their reactions, start avoiding situations where they believe they may encounter certain sounds, or cope in ways that are not helpful in the long-term (e.g., yelling at people to stop making noises). These ways of coping with misophonia can begin to negatively impact an adults' ability to work, cause distress in their relationships, or impact their ability to engage in hobbies or leisure activities.
Does This Sound Familiar?
- Certain sounds fill me with rage or panic
- I spend a lot of effort and time making sure I can avoid certain sounds
- When I hear certain sounds, I become a different person and do and say things I regret later
- When I hear certain sounds, I want to scream, make the sound stop, or run out of the room
- My body responds very intensely to certain sounds
- I seem to notice or hear certain sounds far more than other people
- When I hear a sound that triggers me, it's impossible to stop thinking about it
- When I hear sounds I don’t like, I go into fight or flight mode
- There are things I avoid doing because I don’t want to hear certain sounds
Associated Concerns:
- Misophonia is a newly described condition in the medical literature and research about it is still emerging.
- Based on what we know so far, misophonia can co-occur with almost any other mental health problem, including (but not limited to) anxiety, mood, obsessive-compulsive, eating, trauma-related, and personality disorders.
- However, some adults with misophonia report they have no additional mental health concerns.