Misophonia, also known as selective sound sensitivity syndrome, starts with a trigger. It's often an oral sound -- the noise someone makes when they eat, breathe, chew, yawn, or whistle. Sometimes a small repetitive motion is the cause -- someone fidgets, jostles you, or wiggles their foot.
-Defined by Web MD
I was diagnosed with Misophonia this year. This is such an issue for me that I have disability at my college so I can have a separate testing room. I have had this issue since I could remember. I would leave dinner, tell people to shut up, hurt others, all over a sound.
It is a repetitive sound, I have some that effect me a lot less than others. For example, I can handle finger tapping if the environment is relaxed. If I am at the store or working, it begins to make me panic. One thing I can not stand, it puts me in a fit of rage if not ceased, is chewing loudly. Just imagining the sound of spit and an open mouth chewer makes my stomach turn. If I hear that, I leave the room, switch seats or I try to eat something louder to drown out their eating. I can't stand people that fidget, heavy breathers, loud eaters, finger tapping, sniffing, coughing, other people kissing, pen clicking, pen writing, utensils on plates, water dripping, a lot of things to be honest. When I hear these sounds I lose complete focus and I either end up anxious or pissed off.
It's not fun to be like this. It hurts peoples feelings when I want them to stop making a noise. I always get asked by my peers why I am not in class during tests. I hate having to move seats during a movie, to the point that I don't want to see movies. I mostly have it under control but when I am in a stressful situation it gets worse. I don't freak out at people anymore, I just move away from the situation.
