Hate the sound of people eating or slurping? You may be suffering with the condition misophonia

Virgin Radio

31 Mar 2021, 14:41

If you're one of those unlucky people who wants to scratch their partner's eyes out if they make the slightest noise with their mouths (yes), you've probably got misophonia. The medical condition affects up to one in five people and means a simple bite of a crisp can send you into despair. 

Dr Melanie Smart, a Clinical Psychologist from Chichester, West Sussex, told The Sun about the condition: "It is an allergy or phobia of certain sounds. Those with it suffer a stress or sometimes angry reaction when they hear certain noises.

“It tends to be human noises but it can include things like ticking clocks or the buzzing of electricity. The jury is out on whether it is a genetic condition and research continues to see if it is caused by an auditory or neurological problem in the brain. It is often misunderstood or not taken seriously.

“People think those who have it just don’t like the sound or are rude or oversensitive. But sufferers describe experiencing distress or physical discomfort. Misophonia can make people very intolerant of others to the point where families become fractured."

She advised: “You could wear noise-cancelling headphones or play music to create a distraction. These won’t solve the problem. Treatment is needed, but in the short term it might take the stresses away.

“Taking people away from the noise as much as possible will minimise stress. Talk to your partner, try to help them understand that it is a noise aversion and not just a person aversion."

Sufferer Sarah Drage said about her experience with the deafening diagnosis: "My phobia of eating and drinking sounds has got worse as I’ve grown older, and while it bothers me with everyone it’s with my husband that it grates on me the most.

"We have a lot of film nights together and on occasion he’ll go to the cupboard and get popcorn. I won’t be able to concentrate on the movie with him munching next to me so I move to the other end of the sofa. I constantly tell him to eat with his mouth closed.

"It makes me feel as distressed as other people might when they hear nails scratching down a chalkboard. Drinking tea aggravates me too. I’ll snap at him for slurping too loudly. It creates a real negative atmosphere between us. A couple of times a month we will fall out over it."