Raging against the sounds other people make

WASHINGTON — Paul Dion says his problem is “I hear too much.”

Dion is one of a growing number of people who can’t stand hearing the sounds other people make and who can be quickly driven into a disgusted rage.

“Mostly mouth sounds,” says Dion. “People eating, chewing or sneezing perhaps.”

Dion suffered in silence for years, until he realized he had misophonia — literally, “hatred of sound” — a condition in which certain sounds can make the listener furious.

“A lot of people who have this disorder don’t even realize there’s a name for it,” says Dion.

Coined by researchers Margaret and Pawel Jastreboff of Emory University in 2002, according to the New York Times,  misophonia is sometimes referred to as selective sound sensitivity syndrome.

A 2013 study identified the most common irritants as eating sounds, including lip smacking and swallowing; breathing sounds, such as nostril noises and sneezing; and hand sounds, such as typing and pen clicking.

The reactions by people who identify with misophonia range from annoyance to anger to disgust to frustration to wanting to physically harm the person making the sounds.

Why not just ignore the sound?

“That would be wonderful,” laughed Dion, “but if I could ignore it I wouldn’t have misophonia.”

Researchers aren’t yet certain what causes the condition. Some studies suggest a hyperconnectivity between the auditory system and the limbic system, a part of the brain responsible for generating emotions, the Times reports. Other studies consider the possibility there’s a link with other psychiatric conditions.

Dion says that until now, patients haven’t had much success confiding in their physicians. “A lot of times they have to tell the doctor what it is.”

Some behavioral therapies may help a patient distract himself from the noise. Ear plugs and noise-cancelling headphones are other options. “You can’t always remove yourself from the sound,” says Dion.

“Sometimes socially it would be awkward to stand up and walk away, or to say ‘Would you mind not chewing your food that way’ or ‘Would you mind not breathing loudly,'” says Dion. “It’s not easy to ask someone to do that sort of thing.”

The condition has not been classified as a discrete disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, or DSM-5; or the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, or ICD.

“It’s not listed on either, which makes it difficult, because if it were then people could go to the doctor and the doctor would probably have an understanding,” says Dion.

Dion’s website has a self-test which can help sufferers know where they stand on the spectrum of symptoms.

Dion says many of posters on the Misophonia Support Group Facebook page  take comfort in knowing they’re not alone as they attempt to navigate the world’s intrusive sounds.

Neal Augenstein

Neal Augenstein has been a reporter at WTOP since 1997. Through the years, Neal has covered many of the crimes and trials that have gripped the region. Neal's been pleased to receive awards over the years for hard news, feature reporting, use of sound and sports.

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