Question:
Do i have misophonia?
?
2013-07-28 21:37:41 UTC
I'm 14, turning 15 in august and about a year ago i noticed a weird "pet peeve" of mine, or so that's what i thought it was anyways. Noises like my dog licking itself, people chewing/smacking there food when they eat, swallowing of saliva, the sound of other people texting with a keyboard, or clicking computer keys, & just normal stuff like that. It would bother me so bad to the point where i just wanted to scream, & sometimes even just brake down and cry. My breaths would get really heavy, & i would try my best to ignore it.. but that seemed to be impossible. I would get so frustrated and angry, i would have to get myself away from the situation. My family thought i was crazy, and they would laugh at how ridiculous of a pet peeve i had. I never thought anything more about it, and just left it at that. Until i came across someone on the internet talking about 'misophonia'.. All of the 'warning signs' of misophonia seemed to have fit me. I now believe that i do actually have misophonia. But nobody will actually believe me, or even bother with it. My mom just thinks that i am over reacting, but she doesn't realize how bothersome it actually is. I think everything would be so much better if she would understand, or even try to at least. But she is someone who is always in denial, and would never actually say that i have misophonia. Now i am just asking if you think i might have misophonia, and if i do.. how could i explain this to my mom, & show her that i have misophonia. And im not just making it up. Please help.
Three answers:
Rainer Blair
2013-07-28 23:51:01 UTC
Yes! You have misophonia. It sucks, I know. I too have misophonia, and I'm 15 years old. I know what you're going through!



Sit your family down and talk to them about this. And I mean, call a family meeting, make sure everyone is there, and ready to stay there for a talk. Do NOT let them joke around, and explain that this is real, and it is truly affecting you! Show them sites on misophonia, prove it is definitely real. They may not take you seriously, but they will eventually have to.



Go to a counselor or psychologist of some sort. Hopefully, if you tell your parents "I NEED help!", they will take you seriously. CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, look it up) can help (it's helping me, I'm your age (15 years old) and I'm going to a counselor and she's really helping). Your family needs to make changes, to avoid setting off your misophonia. Hopefully, they will learn that misophonia is real and a very serious problem.



Sadly, misophonia is poorly understood, and it is not curable. I am going to a counselor, and she is helping me deal with the misophonia with CBT and with various other techniques. Seeing an expert is recommended. Seeing a family doctor is also a good enough idea, if you want medications.



Check out these sites for more information and for support:



http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/brain-babble/201305/misophonia-enraged-everyday-sounds

http://misophoniasupport.tumblr.com/

http://www.misophonia-uk.org/the-misophonia-activation-scale.html

http://misophonia.com/

http://www.misophonia-uk.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misophonia



And, of course, if you Google "Selective Sound Sensitivity" or "Misophonia", a lot of good stuff comes up.



I know that misophonia is very hard to live with. I've had it since I was around 8 (it started with me hating whistling), and I still have it today. I am 15, turning 16 this October. Misophonia makes daily life hard, but if your family takes you seriously (because you explain it to them, and don't let them screw with you), they can make your life easier. My family and I have learned to cope. They try their hardest to not make any trigger noises near me. And I have learned to stand my ground and ask them (nicely) to stop doing whatever they are doing. I feel bad about asking them to stop some stuff, like tapping (my dad is very musical, so he taps all the time, and it sets me off, so I ask him to stop tapping a LOT) and breathing really loud (I mean, people have to breath... I'd just appreciate quieter breathing, lol)... But that's life now.



So, best of luck! Misophonia is real, and it is a very bad problem. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Many people don't believe it, but you and I know that it exists.



If you ever wanna talk, my Twitter handle is @Vimm3l. If you don't use Twitter, that's cool. I don't use Twitter much either! But if you wanna shoot me a tweet, we can exchange emails and talk some more. If you don't have a Twitter, just make one and Tweet me. Or post your email address. I would post mine, but I already get enough spam, I don't want any more! I'm /BAMFchick (don't judge, I made that username in 7th grade, lol) on FACEBOOK, so add me if you want. I'm assuming your name is actually Emily, so add me if you want. I'll accept your friend request and we can chat.

I completely understand what's going on with you, so maybe I can help a bit. I am a girl your age, so don't worry. IF you don't wanna talk though, I totally understand. I'm not some social butterfly, I'm not very talkative, but I am wanting to help someone newly discovering a very important problem like misophonia.
Danielle
2014-11-07 17:39:52 UTC
I'm in the exact same boat as you guys. I'm 15, it started when I was 8, my family doesn't accept it. You definitely have Misophonia and it is difficult, I know. I have found a lot of help on a sub on Reddit called r/misophonia.
?
2013-07-28 22:18:20 UTC
I didn't know what misphonia was prior to this, but I researched it a bit, and it does sound like you have it.



Show her you're completely serious by just telling her exactly what you said here. Don't hide your feelings, go up to her and talk to her about it. Ask why she doesn't believe and ask what you could do to prove it. Print something off about misphonia and have her read it and tell her that you want her to understand. Say it's more than a pet peeve. If you really really want to show her you're serious, stop going to the kitchen and just avoid your entire family completely and if they ask why, tell them how you feel about the noises they make. I really hope this is solved soon, it doesn't sound like anything fun at all. Feel better!


This content was originally posted on Y! Answers, a Q&A website that shut down in 2021.
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