Misophonia

Anyone ever heard of this? Just came across it by chance in an internet search and it was a bit of a revelation - there are many sounds that really irritate me and I have just thought it was me being intolerant and then I discovered that other people also experience these symptoms.

I know certain sounds literally make me cringe, like someone raking a fork across thier teeth when they eat, and popping gum, etc

Yes, I have heard of this.

Many sounds irritate me. Sometimes, I get panicky and have to flee. My hearing is quite acute so I think that explains why I am bothered by certain sounds.

The following are VERY bothersome: crying and screaming toddlers/children; loud nose breathers; hand rubbing; vacuum cleaners; sirens and fire alarms; giggles; noisy environments; and a lot of people talking all at once.

Mine is hearing people eating - hearing my mother drinking a cup of tea is really difficult for me - I have to work really hard to contain my reaction.

yes i watched an ABC's 20/20 about it. sounds like a terrifying disorder.

Styrofoam squeaking. Or those rice cakes that also squeak (and remind me of styrofoam ).

YES. The worst is people who eat loudly, with their mouth open, or smack stuff that is a sticky consistency.

I hate when my husbands knife or fork scratch his plate too.

And the T.V. droning on when nobody is watching it in the house.

Hmmm

I swore that I would never be like this. My mom was very sensitive to sounds. I couldn't eat crispbread with her in the same room. All eating had to be done without a sound. No slurping or you got yelling in your ear. Oddly enough, my mom was never bothered by her own yelling......

I realized I also was sensitive. Moved away and I lived in a dorm and people were up chatting at all times. It bothered me but I didn't want to be like my mom, so I decided sure I hear the sounds, but they don't bother me. So I learned never work up irritation around the sounds.

Ticking alarm clocks always been an issue though, from when I was little.

Screaming babies drove me completely crazy.

But now I have learned to zone out the sounds. When my friend's yappy dog starts her high pitched barking, I need to be told to tell her to shut up, because she can bark her head off and I don't hear it because I zoned it out.

I can with babies as well, if I'm not in a bad mood, then everything will annoy me.

My laptop fan is very noisy. I don't hear it anymore.

I think zoning out and also early on deciding not to care helped me a lot.

If a musical instrument is out of tune... o man, it hurts my soul.

But I'm more sensitive to the visual. Busy patterns and when it is a lot of visual input. Visual changes are hard. I see them so clearly. A new made pavement was really difficult to accept because it stuck out so bad before I finally got used to it.

Lack of filters can cause sensitivity, so called low latent inhibition. It can be a state of mind for some, and for some it more happens as an effect, like from mental illness. There was some research people with schizophrenia heard the same noise coming back and back the same every time like it was the first, while other people got used to it and their brains stopped reacting to it. Interestingly, this effect can also be reached through meditation.

Me too .

Just reading this made me shiver! For some reason I have become very sensitive to cutting cardboard, just thinking about it gives me the shivers! This is not really a sound but my tongue on a wood Popsicle stick is almost unbearable!

I have sensory processing disorder, so I've got the whole sensitivity to sounds as well as other senses to boot! I'm very sensitive to tactile input, sounds, visual things (bright lights, flashing lights, etc), and some tastes (spice and salt to name a few). I also have the full broad spectrum of being sensitive to vestibular movement (If I lean my head backwards I get dizzy and I will also fall backwards/stumble when standing), but also craving it as well. I loove to swing and rock, and will easily spend hours in a swing just calmly swinging.

I could go more into depth but i'm already off topic as is. But honestly if you think you have misophonia, try to rule out SPD first. The two share some very similar symptoms but SPD has neurological ties to it and there's effective 'treatment' too- via Occupational therapy. Specifically the listening therapy can help with sensitivity to sounds, and probably Interactive metronome (but not sure on that one).

http://www.sensory-processing-disord...checklist.html
You might be surprised.

Me too! I have coffee with my mother every Sunday, and I hate the sound of her swallowing. It feels so petty. And what am I going to say, "You're swallowing too loud"? lol... I'll sit there and watch her take a sip, then grit my teeth waiting for the gulp. Sometimes I'll speak just at the right moment to cover up the sound.

I remember when I was a teenager, she'd come into the kitchen, fill a water glass, and gulp it down. Then she'd have to gasp for air. Gulp, gulp, gulp, gasp!

I also hate loud eating. I've left eating places if I can hear the person at the next table eating.

The thing that used to really get to me, though, was when my dad chewed his ice. Ugh! It was so bad, I'd ask him to stop. He died in 1993. I'd love to hear him chewing ice again.

Thanks for bringing the subject up and giving me a chance to complain.

Possibly some connection to tinnitus?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misophonia

I've had tinnitus continuously for as long as I can remember - since I was a kid. I don't know why that would be connected to this misophonia thing, though.

Oh FooZe, you hit the nail on the head for those two things. I can't eat rice cakes because of that styrofoam type noise and I stay away from styrofoam cups and especially plates as well.

My beloved Aunt Mary could send me into outer space the way she ate a banana and the way she loved them when they were brown speckled because they were "creamy".....*shiver* To me, a creamy banana only belongs in a banana bread or muffin batter....LOL

Another thing that makes me so irritated/angry/anxious is to hear myself or someone else, when we have a cold and there are "rattle" sounds in our chest when we breathe. This is one thing that makes me even more miserable than the cold itself!

Yes, I am fairly certain I have it, and it is the most terrible thing in the world. Just THINKING about the sounds that trigger me cause me physical pain. Does anyone know how to treat it, even just a bit?

Hello & Welcome, Unisauroo412!
My psychiatrist told me, after researching the issue, there is no known cure. My experience of misophonia has become worse over time. The information above about Sensory Processing Disorder may be worth investigating.

My triggers are gum popping/chewing, children crying, shuffling of feet, slurping, chewing of any kind, popping of joints.

The popping of a balloon, no matter how distant, literally brings tears to my eyes.

Yes, I have it. I've joined some mailing lists about it. I know that I just thought it was me and was relieved about a year ago when I heard a description of it on TV. I KNEW that's what I had. If you Google you'll find some info about it. But if you are going crazy over noises (like mouth noises) walk away as quickly as you can.

I personally don't believe that de-sensitizing would work on this condition!

Wow i thought it was just me i want to mudrder my sister for eating pattatto chips, want to kill the person behind me on the train for chewing gum. want to murder the person in the coffee shop for slurping... And i mean i get so fkn angry i have to leave. I know my sister cant help it but for fks sake close our god dam mouth

Or when my dog licks his hind leg, Girls burping, Or when the train driver beeps his horn wow so many

Anyone buying in public without it being an accident, and not covering their mouths or excusing themselves really makes me mad. Very rude and I'll-mannered. One guy won't sit near me because he does this and I gave him some pretty dirty looks.

My father wanted quiet. Now I get phobic about certain tasks that make noise such as clanging of dishes. I have to remind myself I live alone and can clang as much as I want. It isn't a disorder for me. Just how I was raised.

Unfortunately, it is little understood. Audiologists work with some people. MH professionals don't have many answers either. Earplugs and excellent noise reduction headsets seem to be common for the ones who suffer. I wear earplugs when I eat with my sister and BIL. Otherwise the chewing, fork against plates and teeth as well as my BIL who slurps out of his mug, swishes the stuff around his mouth and then loudly swallows drives me batty. My sister seemed to disregard the notion that such a condition existed, but I swear, since I sent her an article about it, she's eating quieter?

Just an update. I have learned that using earplugs or headphones with no noise coming out of them will actually make disorders like this worse because when you do get exposed to those triggers, you are much more sensitive to them. I've heard an iPod with earbuds playing white, pink or brown noise lightly in the background will allow you to hear people communicate but can muffle the soft sounds.