Misophonia (hypersensitivity to sounds) makes a dinner with a loved one, which for many people is an ideal plan for a romantic evening, for a person with this condition a source of discomfort, fear or even … aggression. So far, science does not know much about misophonia, but what are the causes of hypersensitivity to sounds and are there any treatments for misophonia?

Misophony (hypersensitivity to sounds)is a term that is derived from two Greek words: "misos", meaning hate, and "phone", understood as sound. The problem is also sometimes referred to as SSS, which is derived from the English term Selective Sound Sensitivity Syndrome. Misophonia was described for the first time in 2000 in a publication authored by audiologists P. and M. Jastreboff.

There are no statistics that would indicate the incidence of misophonia. This may result both from the fact that the individual has only recently been talked about, and from the fact that there are no unambiguous criteria for recognizing misophonia. What's more - in psychiatric classifications (be it DSM or ICD) the concept of misophonia does not appear at all. However, the observations carried out so far show that both women and men can suffer from hypersensitivity to sounds. The first problems related to SSS appear relatively early, already in childhood - typically the onset of misophonia occurs around 9-13. year of the patient's life.

Misophonia (sound sensitivity): causes

It is currently unclear what causes misophonia. Theoretically, it would seem that the problem may lie in the dysfunction of the hearing organ, but this is not the case - patients with hypersensitivity to sounds have properly functioning ears. Hypotheses about the causes of misophonia currently focus on how sounds are perceived by the auditory centers of the brain - it is possible that dysfunctions in these centers may be at the source of misophonia.

Misophonia (sound sensitivity): how is it diagnosed?

As already mentioned, the criteria for the diagnosis of misophonia simply do not exist - the disorder is therefore rather recognized on the basis of excluding other potential causeswhether you are having problems. The differential diagnosis should take into account, inter alia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, and anxiety disorders. This necessity arises not from the fact that in the above-mentioned units there is also hypersensitivity to sounds, but from the fact that symptoms accompanying misophonia - such as irritability, anxiety or panic episodes - may also appear in these psychiatric problems.

Hearing problems should also be taken into account in the diagnosis of misophonia. For example, hyperacusion should be ruled out - the difference between it and misophonia lies in the fact that in the course of hyperacusion the patient is hypersensitive to most, and not only to specific sounds. Another unit that needs to be considered in the differential diagnosis is phonophobia, which is an anxiety response to one specific sound.

Misophonia (hypersensitivity to sounds): the course of the disorder and its consequences

A patient with misophonia most often reacts badly to sounds made by … people closest to him. The problem is characteristic of the fact that unpleasant sensations in the patient are caused by sounds, the emission of which usually does not attract the attention of other people at all. Examples of such sounds include:

  • sounds accompanying the consumption of food (e.g. chewing, swallowing or munching);
  • breathing sounds (both quiet breathing and snoring, as well as sneezing and sniffling);
  • sounds made by animals (e.g. cat meowing, dog barking or birds singing outside the window);
  • sounds accompanying typing on the computer keyboard;
  • baby cry.

One example can be used to better understand what people with misophonia experience. Well, it is enough to think for a moment about the feelings we felt at school when someone ran a fingernail over a chalk board - many people experienced a significant degree of discomfort in such a situation. Patients with misophonia feel similar, or even worse, when they hear the above-mentioned or other sounds.

When a patient suffering from misophonia comes across sounds that are irritating to him, the following may appear:

  • strong feeling of discomfort;
  • fear and anxiety, sometimes even in the form of a panic attack;
  • irritation and anger;
  • aggression;
  • willingness to escape to a place where you would not hear the sound.

Hypersensitivity to sounds can be of such a degree and lead to such great psychological discomfort that the patient may even begin to experience suicidal thoughts. Intensificationthe feeling of aggression emerging in the course of misophonia can be so strong that the patient - wanting the sound to stop tormenting him - may even commit fights to the person making the sound. Over time, the symptoms of misophonia may appear even before the sound is heard by the patient - they may even be provoked by seeing that someone within a short distance of the patient is about to start eating or drinking.

As you can easily guess, it is difficult to avoid meeting people breathing or eating food. For this reason, patients with misophonia may fall into isolation - if they do so, it is because different sounds do not allow them to function normally. Self-isolation can lead to problems in family life - patients can avoid even close family members or choose not to form relationships with other people. Misophonia can also lead to the patient being unable to attend educational activities or go to work.

Misophonia (sound sensitivity): treatment

So far, no method of treating misophonia has been found, the effectiveness of which would be documented in scientific research. However, patients with hypersensitivity to sounds are not left to themselves - various actions can be taken to alleviate the problems they experience. The use in the treatment of misophonia is, among others, habituation therapy, typically designed to treat tinnitus. It is referred to as TRT (Tinitus Retraining Therapy) and it consists in the fact that the sound that evokes negative emotions in the patient (e.g. other people's breathing) is associated with the sound that the patient perceives as pleasant (e.g. with a song). musical). Psychotherapy can also help patients with misophonia - in the case of this disorder, behavioral techniques (especially exposure therapies) are usually used, as well as full cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy.

Category:

Psychiatry