Do you ever get triggered by the sound of someone chewing, speaking, or even just breathing? If your answer is yes, then you just might have misophonia. Misophonia is defined as having a hatred towards sound or any kind of auditory stimulation, and it manifests differently in different people. It is essentially having sensory issues regarding sounds. The main emotions it evokes are typically anger and disgust. A lot of people usually relate auditory sensory issues with having autism, but anyone on or off the spectrum can have misophonia. These sounds can cause you to become deeply and emotionally affected, and they typically do not bother other people. People describe this trigger of anger as “wanting to hurt” or “end” the source that is making the noise. These triggered reactions are involuntary.
I have personally struggled with misophonia since a young age. It makes certain situations very uncomfortable and challenging because most people are not bothered by these noises. Growing up, I remember my family members would call me dramatic for having to leave the room whenever my dogs were drinking water. Other times, I would become so angry when I was around people chewing or drinking water that I would either have to remove myself from the situation or I would end up yelling and begging them to stop.
I specifically remember taking a science test in the 5th grade, and I started crying because I could not handle the sound of my classmate sniffling throughout the entire test. Even sounds like the tapping of a pen, a repetitive cough, or a TV that is too loud is enough to trigger me. A lot of people have looked at me like I was crazy for being bothered by certain sounds, or some would find it amusing and continue making the sound to bother me further. Either way it is not fun being enraged, irritated, or panicked by everyday sounds.
There really is no treatment for misophonia besides therapy or lifestyle recommendations. I still have to eat a lot of meals alone and create noise-free zones within my living spaces. Misophonia cannot be found in medical textbooks, and it is not yet known by insurance companies. It is crucial to spread misophonia awareness to compensate for the lack of understanding and support there is concerning this condition.