Misphonia: Sounds That Drive You Nuts?

2 min

Misphonia, which means "hatred of sound" is sometimes called "selective sound sensitivity syndrome" and refers to a response to sounds that an individual finds irritating and in some cases upsetting enough to trigger anger, even violence.

Researchers at the University of Amsterdam have looked into this condition and have determined that the sounds that most often trigger the irritation include lip smacking, swallowing, nostril noises, sneezing, typing, and pen clicking. Misphonia is not currently included in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the "bible" of psychiatric disorders, in part because it is newly identified and because so little is known about it.

In an article in the New York Times, Barron H. Lerner, M.D., a professor of medicine and population health at the NYU Langone Medical Center, described his own misphonia, explaining that the noises that he really can’t stand are the sound of someone behind him at the movies chewing popcorn with his or her mouth open, the sound of people perpetually sniffing mucus back into their nostrils rather than blowing their noses, loud yawns, and audible saliva swishing when someone is speaking.

Misphonia was identified 20 years ago, but so far, no one knows what causes it. Some research suggests that it may be related to obsessive- compulsive disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder, but according to Dr. Lerner, most people who suffer from it have no other major emotional problems. Another theory holds that the disorder may stem from a hyperconnectivity between the auditory system and the brain’s limbic system, which is responsible for generating emotions. Researchers are trying to develop diagnostic criteria for the problem.

No one knows how many people are affected by misphonia, and those who are tend to believe they’re the only one with the problem, at least until they learn of the availability of websites and Facebook pages devoted to it.

So far, there’s no specific treatment for this problem, but in his Times article Dr. Lerner wrote that cognitive behavioral therapy may help by teaching patients how to distract themselves from the noises that upset them or substitute white noise or other sounds to help tamp down their irritation or anger. Of course, escaping from the source of the noise can work. If misphonia accompanies obsessive-compulsive disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder, treating the underlying condition may help.

Andrew Weil, M.D.

Source:
Arjan Schröder, Nienke Vulink, Damiaan Denys, "Misophonia: Diagnostic Criteria for a New Psychiatric Disorder." PLoS One, January 23, 2013