What Is Misophonia?

Most Common Sound Triggers

Sounds from other people's mouths are the most common sound triggers associated with misophonia. Typical triggers include the sound of another person swallowing, chomping, or slurping, and patients might be triggered by the sound of someone smacking their lips or clearing their throat too. Although less common, individuals have reported being triggered by the sounds of ticking clocks, chirping birds and crickets, rustling papers, and sniffling, and the slamming of a car door could cause symptoms as well. In rare cases, patients might also be triggered by nose rubbing, hair twirling, or foot tapping.

Individuals with misophonia may take drastic steps to avoid potential sound triggers. For example, they might skip class or quit their job, and they could experience social isolation and relationship conflicts with family members, coworkers, and friends. When misophonia patients encounter a sound trigger, this may cause them to feel disgusted or irritated, and these emotions can rapidly turn into anger. The patient might lash out verbally or physically at the person making the sound. Some individuals could start to mimic the offending sounds. In general, patients with misophonia are more likely to have depression and anxiety than individuals without this condition.

Link To Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Misophonia is similar to obsessive-compulsive disorder and, in fact, often occurs concurrently with the condition. Similar to obsessive-compulsive disorder, misophonia has a different presentation in each patient. Obsessive-compulsive disorder includes unwanted and obsessive thoughts. The link to obsessive-compulsive disorder lies in the obsessive aspects of misophonia, where patients focus intently on one thing or the anticipation of it.

The hatred of sound was only first labeled in the early 2000s, whereas obsessive-compulsive disorder was first described as early as the 1600s. Thus the links and relationships are still being studied, although misophonia is often misdiagnosed as obsessive-compulsive disorder or a diagnosis finds the two occur at the same time.