Misophonia

Misophonia (or selective sound sensitivity syndrome, sound-rage) is a disorder of decreased tolerance to specific sounds or their associated stimuli, or cues. These cues, known as "triggers", are experienced as unpleasant or distressing and tend to evoke strong negative emotional, physiological, and behavioral responses that are not seen in most other people.^[4] Misophonia and misophonic symptoms can adversely affect the ability to achieve life goals and enjoy social situations. It was first recognized in 2001,^[5] though it is still not in the DSM-5 or any similar manual.^{[6][7][8][9][5]} For this reason it has been called a "neglected disorder".^[10]

Reactions to trigger sounds range from annoyance to anger, with possible activation of the fight-or-flight response. Misophonia responses do not seem to be elicited by the loudness of the sound, but rather by its specific pattern or meaning to the hearer. Triggers are commonly repetitive stimuli and are primarily, but not exclusively, related to the human body, such as chewing, eating, smacking lips, slurping, coughing, throat clearing, sniffing, and swallowing. Once a trigger stimulus is detected, people with misophonia may have difficulty distracting themselves from the stimulus and may experience suffering, distress, and/or impairment in social, occupational, or academic functioning. The expression of misophonia symptoms varies, as does the severity, which ranges from mild to severe. Some people with misophonia are aware that their reactions to misophonic triggers are disproportionate to the circumstances. Misophonia symptoms are typically first observed in childhood or early adolescence.^[4] Studies have shown that misophonia can cause problems in school, work, social life, and family.^[11]