Lunch and Learn with Liz: Misophonia

[@elenadagis215]

Thank you so much for this informative and helpful discussion. I’m almost 50 and it is such a relief to finally realise that I’m not just an intolerant irritable grump, I perfectly lovely as long as you don’t slurp your drink, chew food in front me, mow the lawn, have a ticking clock, forget to turn the tsp off properly etc etc!!!!

[@perrycoffey5410]

What's tsp

[@imabladerunner]

This was an interesting discussion - I wish I was on when it streamed. I am a 47 y.o. male. I, unfortunately, suffer from this horrific condition. My history with it goes back at least 25 years, but I think I can trace a few times where it affected me even in childhood. It has, without a doubt, gotten worse and worse as I grow older. Let me give you a rundown of some of my triggers (my triggers result in anger and aggression): - Chewing (anything - gum, chips, pickles whatever) - Smacking lips - Breathing - Music (basically anything but Classical however, if there is a long section of string instrumentation such as high-octave violins, it triggers me) - Dogs barking - Kids playing - Kids crying - Whistling - Teeth scraping silverware - Birds chirping - Walking around where I can hear it (if I am downstairs and you are walking upstairs and I can hear it through the floor boards) - Whispering - ppl talking on a phone - keyboard clacking - shuffling of feet on floor - picking finger/toe nails - clipping finger/toe nails - people talking who are not talking to me (background) - sound coming through a phone (like watching videos on your phone) - if someone is having a conversation on their phone and the other person is on speaker (the other person's voice drives me crazy)- lawn mower that I am not using - construction equipment I am not using - fireworks when I am not at a show (people using them locally) - Phone/computer Alerts/Notifciations (text message beep etc.) - Singing Honestly, it feels like almost every sound I hear in some way pisses me off (I am using that language to convey the feeling. I'd use worse but I don't want this to get flagged). As for some of my own self-aware diagnosis - I was married to a deaf woman for about 12 years. We had no kids and we kept very different hours. I was basically in a vacuum and in an environment that granted me 70% quiet time. But above all, whenever she was making sounds I didn't like - I could yell to my heart's content because she could not hear me. I simply turned around and yelled until the sound she made was over or I would yell at the kids outside and she would never know. Fast forward about 6 years to today. I have emerged from that fortress of silence and it has been HORRIBLE!! I had to start my own business because I couldn't be around people typing, slurping their coffee, breathing etc. I've also remarried and now I have a 13 yo stepson. I have not told them about my Misophonia but they know something is up. I am extremely hard on my stepson because of the stress levels I get at the though of him eating or singing or dancing or just being a kid who makes noise. I've also become so much LESS tolerant of the sounds my wife makes. Before, they weren't "bad" but as the relationship progresses, I can tolerate her sounds less and less. But my mother and stepfather are the worst people for me to be around. I go ballistic when they eat and make all the sounds above. I am (or it is) ruining my relationship with the people closest to me. I miss my days of complete silence. I've lived with a deaf person and now I envy her ability to simply turn the cochlear implant off and hear nothing... I need help.

[@emmakaybell]

wow i am so sorry. i am only 18 and i have not gone to professional help for misophonia only because covid. i want to do that i can get some advice. i have been dealing with this for a few years and mine is not as severe as yours. i used to think it was a huge pet peeve of mine to hear these certain sounds but i have realized that it is more severe than a pet peeve. my trigger sounds are not as many as yours but mine are: -chewing with mouth closed or open only with certain people mainly my immediate family -repetitive words, like when a child is repeated the same phrase or word over and over -repetitive movements the main one is the chewing. at the dinner table with my family i always snap at my brother and sister and sometimes parents to stop. the sound makes my neck tingle and causes me to either cry or just want to scream. i either have to leave the room or put in headphones. some days are worse than others from only snapping a few times to a full on mental breakdown and frustration. my parents at first did not understand and kept telling me to deal with it and to stop overreacting. it wasn't until i found out about misophonia that i realized that is what i possibly could be going through. when i brought it to their attention they were very understanding and it helped them to understand more of what i was feeling. but i really hope that mine does not get any worse, i feel that it has since it has started a few years ago. but i have no idea how to help cope or make it any better. i hope that you find a way to cope!!

[@tana2183]

A lot of same sounds driving me literally to have panic attacks now

[@ashbeth850]

I went to an OCD clinic for 3 months for misophonia. My treatment team did very intensive exposure therapy. It sadly did not help me. It was the worst 3 months of my life. But I think it's so amazing that it has helped some people!

[@Anne-sd1pu]

This was a really interesting topic. Especially the relation between ocd and misophonia and I want to give my thought to this. So I have misophonia, I haven't been in treatment yet, because I feel not ready to do so yet.. But I want to, and I know I need to. I'm getting really angry/anxious when close family members, cough, sneeze, eat sometimes even talk and pee (oh yes I have to run away from the toilet and plug my ears haha) But I feel like I also have mild symptomes of OCD, I have to do some things a certain way..ex: - first dropping some toilet paper in the toilet before I pee because otherwise something "bad" will happen - first put on socks before putting on my pants because also, something bad will happen. -sometimes a voice in my head says, clean this up now or else (btw I know it's nonsense but it just feels... Wrong) -also body sensitory obsessions, like really obsessing over my swallowing and not be able to stop thinking about it.. And more of these things, you get the deal... Anyways, for me the misophonia triggers sometimes the same sort of thought: "if you hear this, something bad will happen" Like peeing or coughing: "you will get sick if you hear this sound" Hold your breath in to not get sick... Plug your ears... I don't think these thoughts imidiately because I first get very upset when hearing these things but behind the extreme anger it are thoughts like this. And aren't these unwanted emotions related to the unwanted thoughts? I really don't want to feel this angry but I can't stop it. as a compulsion I plug my ears to stop hearing it. The thoughts and feelings I get, really have a sort of the same "meaning" to me. It really feels like those two are related. First time sharing my story ✌️ maybe someone can relate 😅

[@kishajohnson1962]

For people who are talking about misophonia there is a lot of smacking going on while you’re talking it’s triggering mine, I think you for educating one’s on this condition and bringing about awareness

[@MattsRanger]

Exactly, but I found reading better & a podcast that was pretty good. I did not really find anything new up the 25 minute mark where I smashed the stop button. Convinced me docs and clinics not really there yet.

[@MattsRanger]

Anyone with a degree in his or her field of research should be ready to handle the work without making the problem worse. As Dr McKay pointed out in a roundabout way… In that exposure therapy has not been of significant help.

[@MattsRanger]

I learned something after about 25 years or so of this. Don’t feed an angry response with hard rock to stop the looping feedback. The album Whisperings (not that ASMR trash) by David Nevue or similar in headphones helps float that out. Oddly enough I came across him from comments on a RPG game.

[@believer7280]

Kisha, I agree. The swallowing and mouth noises that these microphones pick up....I can't listen to it. I find myself using the mute button more and more. I have OCD and misophonia.

[@czarcologist]

Thanks for bringing more clinical attention to this syndrome ! Great information from amazing speakers

[@super9ab339]

Yea was just nice to hear someone talking about I not long found there was a name for it and it was a disorder

[@vanesslifeygo]

While I don't expect someone to stop chewing, or talking in the distance to accommodate me every minute of the day, it's horrendous when people or neighbors deliberately go banging things in their house or have their dog barking at people all day or actually chasing and biting them. Police response times are so low these days yet it's one of few methods to stop this intentional menace.

[@pammcnary]

Your voice Elizabeth, is triggering my misophonia! Too loud, too fast!

[@roxannenorris217]

How do I get.treatment for my husband and son who both deal with this?

[@rosaliebeaugard-lee1395]

I noticed one day that I wanted to walk over to one of my coworker and take her keyboard and beat her across the head. I started noticing that I was getting soooo angry and any tapping noise, leg shaking and then a new coworker came and she yawn ALL!! the time and it just runs me insane. I wear a headphones most days because I can’t take it. I use to feel bad when my babies would cry and sometimes I had to leave the room or they wanted to comfort themselves and run me and I couldn’t figure out why it made me angry. It made no sense to me. Fast forward to today and working in cubicle is just horrible. That’s where all the tapping comes in. It’s better only because we are limited to the amount of people. Instead of hearing 4 or 5 people on a daily I hear less. I asked my psychiatrist about this and she just basically said she don’t know about it being a real diagnosis. I was also by an audiologist specialist who said that not a real thing and it’s just my hairs in my ears are gone causing me to hear things more. She said it’s from wearing headphones all the time. I was irritated but didn’t know if she was right or not. I am also being treated for GAD but it’s not helping the yawning and tapping at work. It’s nice to know I am not alone.

[@KelliDBH]

Would’ve loved to watch. But,,,, sound quality and sounds. You know, bad for misophonia sufferers.

[@_maddie_makes_music]

okay I was about to not watch this video cus it said lunch in the title and lunch means eating and my misophonia is that bad..

[@kishajohnson1962]

I’ll have to come back to this video I can’t finish it right now with the smacking, had to stop at 15:34

[@justins5946]

Haha I only made it to 7:00. That was ridiculous

[@rosed.1979]

Any misophonia specialists you can recommend in the Nashville area for my 11-year old?

[@IOCDF]

Please email us at [e-mail] and our resource specialist can provide you with resources available to help.

[@Josephquezada]

How do you diagnosis misophonia? I have two family members who believe they are living with this disorder. Please help.

[@ELewis-qj5dx]

I understand this I cant do smacking sounds heavy breathing feet dragging it drives me to anger certain sounds makes me wanna lose my mind

[@Antonia6826]

It’s the vibrations in my ears the sounds creates that is bothersome.

[@drigov2836]

My misophonia is bad enough that I've become very antisocial in an attempt to control my environment. In fact while I find the information in this video helpful, even just the filler words, uh, and uhm, trigger me, as well as some of the tisk/smakcking noises Dean makes while talking. I can't watch the entire video, got to be too much.

[@rosad538]

Interesting as I find females way more triggering with higher pitched voices like Elizabeth.

[@emeraldgirl1303]

Ngl, very contradictory about eating lunch and talking about misophonia.

[@janessarosario8806]

The amount of smacking and loud swallowing... In a video all about misophonia 🤢