My teenage daughter can't stand the sound of people eating. She can't eat with family or has to wear earphones if there is a situation where she has to. It's awful for her and causes many issues when we are in situations with others or say travelling together. She is otherwise happy and content. She saw professional about it to no avail. Can David help?
This called misophonia, which means "hatred of sound". The word comes from the Greek for "hate" and "sounds". It typically involves a strong dislike, even rage inducing, aversion to the sounds of chewing and eating. It is a neurobiological condition, meaning that there is something in the wiring of the brain that makes it happen. People who experience misophonia typically exhibit a fight/flight experience: increased sweating, increased heart rate, tightening of the muscles and rapid breathing. It is an automatic response. Some researches have theorised that it's origins lie in the realm of behavioural conditioning but most believe is is a neurobiological condition. There is little association between misophonia and psychiatric disorders except a higher connecting between it and obsessive compulsive disorder.
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Treatment can be difficult. The most common intervention is to add noise to the environment during eating such as radio (Newstalk of course) or television or music. Loud noise reduces the ears sensitivity to the sound of eating. There are very few controlled treatment studies. Cognitive behaviour therapy may be helpful to some. Other complicated interventions have been described. It is probably best to keep it simple and increase noise level during dinner time.
Every week on Moncrieff, David Carey, a psychologist with over 25 years experience in both clinical and educational settings, answers your parenting questions. Tune in live today at 3pm, or listen back to the podcasts of the show.
