What is misophonia?
Misophonia is an extreme sensitivity to certain sounds such as chewing, pen tapping, sniffling, throat clearing, or scratching. Its main symptom is a strong negative reaction when hearing triggering sounds. Small sounds can be unbearable and cause a fight or flight response to these triggering sounds. Some sound triggers may cause such distress that a person will avoid situations where they may hear these sounds. For example, if someone is hypersensitive to chewing noises, a person may prefer to eat their meals alone or avoid public places where people eat like a café or restaurant.
Misophonia is not listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). Some experts consider misophonia itself a condition, while others believe it may develop as a symptom of other mental health conditions. In one of the largest studies to date with 575 subjects, 59% of people with misophonia did not have any other condition or disorder. The study found that around 3% of misophonia subjects had autism, 5% had ADHD, and 2.8% had OCD. Another interesting finding from this study showed that 68% of the subjects with misophonia also had misokinesia which is a sensitivity to visual movements, such as face touching or fidgeting.
What are the symptoms of misophonia?
Misophonia’s main symptom is a strong negative reaction when hearing triggering sounds. It may cause a person to:
- feel annoyed, irritated or disgusted
- feel rage, anger, or become aggressive (can include lashing out verbally or physically)
- be nervous or anxious in situations where triggering sounds may be heard
- feel anxious or panicked, including feelings of being trapped or losing control
- have tightness or pressure throughout the body or chest
- have increased blood pressure, heart rate, and body temperature
Misophonia starts in the preteen – teen years. It may disrupt daily life quite a bit if a person needs to avoid situations where they may hear upsetting sounds. This may mean avoiding friends and family, or frequently missing work and school.
What are some of the common sound triggers?
Sounds that trigger a person will vary widely. While misophonia begins in response to one specific sound, other sounds might eventually trigger a similar reaction. Heathline website has this list of common triggers:
Oral sounds made by other people such as:
- chomping or crunching
- slurping
- swallowing
- loud breathing
- throat clearing
- lip smacking
Other triggers may include:
- sniffling
- writing sounds
- pen clicking
- rustling of papers or fabric
- clocks ticking
- shoes scuffing
- glasses or silverware clinking
- nail filing or clipping
- mechanical humming and clicking
- birds or crickets chirping
- animal grooming sounds
Visual triggers can cause a similar reaction. This might happen seeing someone who is:
- wagging or jiggling their legs or feet
- rubbing their nose
- twirling their hair or pen
- chewing with an open mouth
- moving their lips or jaw in a chewing motion
People with misophonia might notice that making the same sound themselves typically doesn’t provoke any reaction at all. Some find that mimicking the triggering sounds can help alleviate the distress they cause.
What causes misophonia?
No one is sure what causes misophonia yet and more research is needed in this area. It does appear more commonly in persons with anxiety disorders, OCD, Tourette Syndrome or tinnitus (ringing in the ears). While misophonia seems to be its own condition, it definitely has some overlap with other conditions, including similar symptoms.
Unique characteristics of misophonia include the following:
- Begins in puberty (age 9 – 12)
- Women tend to report more severe symptoms.
- The initial trigger often comes from a parent or family member, but new triggers can develop over time.
- It often runs in families.
How are the symptoms of misophonia managed?
If a person can’t leave the situation/area where the triggers are, they can try:
- using noise-canceling headphones
- listening to music, calming sounds such as sounds in nature like falling rain, or white noise
- distraction with a calming mantra or affirmation
- politely asking the person making the sound to stop
Raising interoceptive awareness may also help a person to recognize anxious or panicked feelings around triggering sounds and then be able to develop calming techniques. Low Arousal Approaches can lessen the flight or fight response and reduce stress if signs of arousal mechanisms becoming engaged are spotted early. More information on misophonia coping strategies can be found here.
Where can I find more support and information about misophonia?
For more support, see the following resources:
International Misophonia Research
Misophonia Awareness Facebook Page
References
Understanding Misophonia: When Everyday Sounds Cause Distress – Healthline
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I am a 53 year old female that has had misophonia since at least the 4th grade. This was when I first had a disgust and rage response to a classmate eating. He made me sick. I told him, and he punched me. To his defense, I am certain I was not polite when I told him to stop eating like that. My parents bothered me also. Every meal was a series of negative emotional outbursts, mockery, fits, and turmoil. It wasn’t until the last couple of weeks that I learned there was a name for this other than me just being nuts. I thought that this was just another part of being Bipolar and having ADHD. I used to ask God to make me deaf. I hated sounds so much that the anxiety drove me to self harm. The rage is too much, the guilt of being angry for how my family and friends eat, especially my parents, has been torture. It has left me feeling like a terrible person. I have anxiety attacks before meals and anger issues for a sustained period of time afterwards. The sound of crying babies has been a trigger of mine too. As a mother, this nearly caused my first daughter “to fail to thrive”. I couldn’t handle the sound of her crying. She’s grown and healthy. I was adopted as an infant, found my siblings as a teen, and discovered that my sister has the same problem. Two of my adult kids have this condition. I do believe that this must be hereditary. As I have grown older, this problem has become worse. The visual connection has always been a part of it. I can scarcely watch a person eat. This has caused me to avoid eating, leaving the table early, or not joining at all. I do not know how to ask politely when I have been triggered. It is all that I can do not to explode. The hardest part that I have found now is that when I have tried to explain this to the noise makers, I am dismissed. They know I have a problem with them…. No, I have a problem with sound! I love them. I hate noise.
I have Misophonia and wish I didn’t. The sounds are unbearable. Hearing anyone chewing or making noises with their mouth gives me intense reactions, almost rage. This is not a typical emotion for me, yet when it is brought on, there is a physical and mental reaction that is so bad, I can’t bear it. I do my best to avoid being in situations where I can hear people chewing but being in places like a waiting room or on a plane, and hearing someone chew gum or bite their nails is absolute torture. I am sure your loved one would also prefer not to have this disorder. The best advice I can offer is to do whatever you can to minimize their exposure to the noises that trigger them. For example, if you are their parent, bring earplugs and/or noise cancelling headphones with you when you go places. If they are your partner, encourage them to have ear plugs and noise cancelling headphones with them at all times. That way, when the noises begin, they are able to take action to tune it out. If you are the “maker” of the noises, consider what irritates you the worst, that you don’t have control over. And then picture being in a confined place with nonstop exposure to what irritates you. Then picture your loved one being the person doing the thing that irritates you, on purpose. That is how they likely feel when people are making the noise that triggers them. Hope this is helpful!
Thank you for taking the time to write about your experience with misophonia. I think your tips will be helpful to our readers as well.
Ask to stop politely…..
My misophonic loved one experiences it at the noise maker being in the wrong and so attacks and blames. Being on the receiving end of such disdain and aggression is horrible and harmful to our relationship. Agree – Ask nicely.