For People with Misophonia, Everyday Noises Can Be Agony

For some people, the triggers are the sounds of eating—chewing, slurping, crunching. For others, they may be other sounds heard every day. What they share is misophonia, a neurophysiological disorder characterized by two things: a severe aversion to certain sounds, and a struggle to convince others of the severity of their condition. Because misophonia isn’t yet recognized with an official code in either the ICD (International Classification of Diseases) or the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), sufferers can find themselves dismissed by doctors and forced to reshape their lives around a condition the medical establishment has yet to officially name. Sloane Crosley’s illuminating feature examines what misophonia looks like, how debilitating it can be for sufferers and their families, and what treatments are currently available, from CBT and talk therapy to AI-enhanced noise-canceling headphones.

Blackburn’s misophonia manifests mostly as avoidance. It’s a struggle that’s only increased after he was recently moved into a shared office space. He steers clear of group situations with his colleagues, for example, and uses headphones, he said, “to isolate myself, essentially.” If he spots someone chewing gum in a car next to him during his commute, he stares straight ahead.

In a way, Blackburn is the poster child for an I.C.D. code (even if he would never appear on the poster). He shares two young children with his ex-wife, and his kids try to give him a heads-up if they’re going to “do a big sniff.” A warning takes the edge off the trigger.