What Is Misophonia?

Emotional Reactions In Patients

Misophonia has a wide variety of emotional reactions in patients, ranging from anxiety to outright suicidal thoughts. If patients have misophonia, they may hate the person making the sounds. They may wish to attack the individual causing the sounds, either verbally or physically. A mild reaction might have patients feeling disgust, discomfort, the urge to flee, or anxious. A more severe reaction to particular sounds can include panic, anger, rage, hatred, fear, emotional distress, crawling skin, a desire to stop or kill whatever is causing the sound, and suicidal ideation.

This disorder can severely cramp a social and working life. It can cause patients to avoid situations that may bring about the sounds. If chewing drives patients into a fury, they will likely avoid social engagements at restaurants or that otherwise involve eating. Clicking pens can make work an ordeal in office situations. Simple yawning can make life at home a trial.

Age Of Onset

Misophonia can begin at any age, and it most frequently starts during late childhood or in the early teenage years. The first symptoms generally appear before an individual reaches puberty, and patients tend to be diagnosed between eight and thirteen years old. Preliminary research suggests misophonia could occur in up to twenty percent of college students in the United States, and there have been reports of misophonia developing in a patient's thirties, forties, and fifties as well. Newly diagnosed misophonia is rare after individuals reach fifty-five years old. Symptoms of the condition often worsen as a patient gets older, and early diagnosis may help improve symptom management.