Misophonia: When sounds attack

Listen to Dave’s Commentary: Misophonia: When sounds attack

There might be small annoyances in the world, but chewing….can drive some people out of their mind. For some people, the sound of a simple body function is like water boarding.

“Imagine having that same reaction to someone breathing sitting next to you or someone licking their lips or making smacking noises.”

They’ll feel rage, their heart races, sometimes they actually fight.

Dr. Marsha Johnson, a Portland-based audiologist, says it may sound silly, but it’s real and it has a name: “Misophonia or selective sound sensitivity syndrome.”

If you have Misophonia, you know it because for you, hearing someone gulp down a cup of yogurt is worse than bad Karaoke.

“They feel either a very strong sense of rage or anger at the person making that sound or a very, very strong need to flee the scene,” she said.

So far, no cure for Misophonia accept earplugs or to turn on a fan for a little white noise, but Dr. Johnson would at least like us to understand when a person leaves the room when a dog licks its paws, or flies into a rage in the middle of dinner, or runs in terror from a bag of Sun Chips, or turns on a fan for no apparent reason, it could be Misophonia.

I just hope researchers figure this out soon before we have to pass federal noise standards for food.

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