Approximately 65% of people with misophonia have at least one other mental disorder. The most common diagnoses are depression and anxiety disorders. The researchers came to this conclusion after analyzing data from a nationally representative sample of US adults. The study was published in the journal Psychiatric Research.
Misophonia is a condition in which a person has strong emotional and physiological reactions to certain everyday sounds. The most common triggers are chewing, breathing, tapping, or repetitive clicking sounds. When these voices are heard, people may feel anger, disgust, anxiety, or the desire to leave the situation immediately.
Research shows that misophonia is associated with increased connectivity between areas of the brain responsible for processing sounds and areas involved in evaluating the emotional significance of stimuli and recognizing threats. Unlike a general sensitivity to loud sounds, misophonia typically causes reactions to specific, repetitive sound patterns.
The new study involved 185 individuals with misophonia and 1,644 asymptomatic control participants. The mean age of individuals with misophonia was 41 years, compared to 51 years for the control group. Women comprised 53% of the participants in the misophonia group and 49% of the participants in the control group.
Participants completed several psychological questionnaires to assess symptoms of misophonia, anxiety, and depression. The analysis showed that most of the studied disorders were 2-37 times more common in individuals with misophonia than in the control group. For example, signs of anxiety were found in 53% of participants with misophonia, compared to only 8% of those without.
Depressive symptoms were found in 42% of participants with misophonia, compared to 6% in the control group. Tinnitus was reported by 44% of people with misophonia and 23% of people without it. Symptoms of hyperacusis were present in 42% of individuals with misophonia, compared to only 2% of the control group.
A similar pattern was also observed regarding previously confirmed diagnoses. Depression was diagnosed in 49% of individuals with misophonia (compared to 11% in the control group) and anxiety disorders in 47% (compared to 10%). Post-traumatic stress disorder was found in 29% of individuals with misophonia, compared to only 3% in the control group.
According to the authors of the study, the high prevalence of co-occurring disorders indicates the need for further study of the mechanisms of misophonia.
Translation by Euromedia24.com
