Hatred of Sounds: Misophonic Disorder Or Just An Underreported Psychiatric Symptom?

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Misophonia, or selective sound sensitivity syndrome, is a preoccupation with or aversion to certain types of sounds that evokes feelings of irritability, disgust, or anger. Recently, it has been suggested that misophonia is a discrete clinical entity deserving of its own place in psychiatric diagnostic manuals. In this paper, we describe 3 patients whose misophonia could be attributed to different underlying primary psychiatric disorders. METHODS: Case series report. RESULTS: In these patients, we argue that misophonia is better described as a symptom of a) obsessive-compulsive disorder, b) generalized anxiety disorder, and c) schizotypal personality disorder. CONCLUSIONS: The nosological status of misophonia remains a matter of debate. Patients who exhibit misophonia as a major complaint should be assessed for other conditions. Further studies on the prevalence, natural history, and additional features of misophonia are needed.