Do you hear too much sounds everywhere?

If you cannot stand certain noises like loud chewing, heavy breathing or constant pen-clicking, then be careful. You might have a condition called Misophonia, which literally means "hatred of sounds".
Although the disorder was identified in 2000 by two audiologists who noticed the symptoms of some of their patients didn't fit the descriptions of any existing audiological conditions, there's a lot of research left to be done to understand the condition and its prevalence.
A new study, however, got us one step closer when a team of researchers at the UK's Newcastle University proved that the frontal lobe of the brains of misophonics bear some differences to those of non-sufferers.
In an report published in the journal Current Biology, scientists said misophonia sufferers had a change in brain activity when a 'trigger' sound was heard. Brain imaging revealed that they have an abnormality in their emotional control mechanism, which causes their brains to go into overdrive on hearing trigger sounds.
Dr. Mohamed Hamdy Ibrahim Abdalla, Clinical Assistant Professor and specialist in Neurology at Thumbay Hospitals, said the excessive emotional response is only caused by certain sounds that are part of the "trigger set" for patients, which is why the condition is also referred to as "select sound sensitivity syndrome."
Certain sounds, mostly made due to mouth movements, stir intense emotions of rage and anxiety, and bear symptoms of panic attacks. "It forces its sufferers to move out of the surroundings where the sound is being made, feel anger and strong irritation that cannot be calmed down with a pill," said Dr Abdalla. He added its patterns and causes should be addressed, to provide statistics on the phenomenon's prevalence around the world.
"Misophonia has been identified, but it's still very new and in the nascent stage of research being conducted. It is still an unknown phenomenon and a lot of studies need to be done regarding its prevalence, etiology and treatment," he said.
Dr Marie Thompson, senior clinical psychologist at LifeWorks Foundation, noted that the condition is thought to impact 10 per cent of the world's population. It is likely to start during childhood and can worsen over time to include a larger number of intolerable sounds.
People with anxiety, autism and other sensory processing disorders have an increased risk of being misophonics. However, Thompson said, misophonia is currently not part of any official medical or psychiatric classifications.
A psychological perspective
It is true that most of us would find some sounds unpleasant, but you are misophonic if you're unable to ignore these sounds or relegate them to background noises. With Misophonia, Dr Thompson says you can experience a number of thoughts that further fuel the condition, such as "I hate that person" or "they are so inconsiderate for chewing near me".
Behavioural changes, such as people covering their ears or trying to get away from a situation very suddenly, can also be noted. The feelings disappear as quickly as they arise when a person is removed from the trigger source.
"People experiencing this condition produce an autonomic arousal physiological response (i.e. fight or flight) to seemingly innocuous sounds, which lead them to avoid situations in which these sounds may occur," said Dr Thompson.
Each trigger sound differs from a person to another, but for misophonics, it can interfere with their ability to do everyday tasks and engage in healthy social interactions. Social, family and professional lives can be affected.
Dr Thompson noted that an individual should seek professional help when their daily functioning is affected.
While the condition is primarily neurological with causes of psychological distress, it may be considered both psychological and neurological: but it is more complex than that. "The exact atypical neurological set-up is not yet fully understood, though it is thought that there is an abnormally strong link between the auditory system [part of the brain responsible for hearing], the autonomic system [responsible for the fight or flight response] and the limbic system [responsible for emotion]."
Cure yourself of misophonia
While there's no definite treatment for the condition, a number of psychotherapies can help. According to Dr Thompson, some education about the condition is helpful in the first instance, as it provides an explanation to the hitherto misunderstood symptoms.
Providing some coping mechanisms, such as practical ways to make sounds more tolerable, like wearing headphones providing background or white noise, is important.
A combination of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and mindfulness techniques are helpful, as they enable individuals to gain some distance from the negative thoughts that further fuel the experience. CBT teaches patients to control reactions/feelings and gain proper respond to triggering sounds.
Dr Abdalla said that some studies have been published about the use of sound therapy, similar to the condition of Tinnitus, to treat Misophonia. But he added that there is no definite treatment to manage it yet.
"Misophonia is still not considered a psychiatric disorder. The fact that it has not been included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), hinders in-depth studies," he pointed out.
- sherouk@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai

Sherouk Zakaria

sherouk@khaleejtimes.com