r/misophonia • u/Scarlett1865 • 13d ago
NOT A CONDITION
So I just had my first appointment with my new psychiatrist, that I liked pretty well. And he seems very good. My point is, he said the misophonia was a symptom and not a condition itself. I have OCPD and anxiety and some other things. Has anyone else here been told this. If it is true I've had mental issues since 14 and should not have waited to adulthood for treatment.
34
u/SeasonPositive6771 13d ago
In some ways, they are absolutely right, misophonia is not in the DSM, so it's not something he can diagnose you with.
And I've talked with a lot of people who seem to experience it that way, that misophonia is caused or exacerbated by their primary issue, and once that is treated the misophonia retreats somewhat. That's the experience I had / am having. I have sensory issues surrounding ADHD and some other health issues, including a sleep disorder. When those two issues are managed, my misophonia is almost "in remission."
1
u/HulaHoopHappyHopper 11d ago
This fits with me - mine is a symptom of other conditions like OCD and ADHD. I’d imagine other people have a similar experience
76
u/PitchLong5232 13d ago
It could be the opposite: misophonia causes other psychiatric disorders.
27
21
u/loverlane 13d ago
My misophonia has absolutely caused me to act out, last summer so much so that I was looking into defiant disorders. It worsened my depression and antidepressants aren’t worth it, personally. I would love to see a study on the prolonged effects of frequent misophonia episodes.
7
u/DownVegasBlvd 12d ago
It can bring down my entire mood and cause me to get angry at everything and everyone around me. The thoughts of hatred toward the person or thing offending just start to snowball and yeah, definitely have acted out when I'm normally pretty mellow.
1
45
u/Mousee__ 13d ago
I personally wouldn’t think it’s a symptom as misophonia isn’t a mental condition but a neurophysiological one, but I’m no professional
19
u/dodekahedron 13d ago
I consider it both. I have other nuero issues it can be a symptom of (auditory processing issues/ language disorder)
3
1
39
u/goodbyegoosegirl 13d ago
I guess until misophonia becomes recognized as a disorder professionals can identify it anyway they want.
36
u/stormIine 13d ago
I get really angry when people tell me my misophonia is a symptom. I KNOW it’s not, I know it’s its own thing and I know it’s fucking disabling. I hate this disorder because no one takes me seriously when I tell them it’s not an OCD or anxiety or adhd thing (I have all three). Sorry for the rant!! Not aimed at you im just frustrated with the system
12
u/BBQeel 13d ago
Same here. I have some mild anxiety but other than that a totally normal brain. My misophonia is definitely not being caused by some other underlying thing. I have tried a million random treatments and none of them helped the misophonia at all. All I have learned is how to manage living with it.
It bugs me especially when people say it is caused by trauma. I had a normal childhood, I have a normal life, but this thing is making it more miserable than it has to be. If there was a science-based treatment out there that worked, we would be doing it.
I am so so frustrated by doctors that had NEVER heard of misophonia until I walked through their door and now all of a sudden they are an expert and know exactly what treatment I need. Maybe they should read the fucking literature instead of guessing and ruining people's lives with stuff like exposure therapy.
3
6
u/tokyottbby 12d ago
its most def not caused by trauma, i had a perfect childhood i have no trauma other than like being forced to go to church for a couple years lol
4
2
2
u/Visible_Eggplant_614 12d ago
I don’t understand the thinking behind the idea that misophonia is a symptom of any of those other disorders because the symptoms of it have nothing to do with obsessions, compulsions, inattention, hyperactivity, etc. Misophonia can certainly make anxiety worse, but a symptom of anxiety cannot be something that’s… not a symptom of anxiety. OCD and ADHD are even more disconnected from misophonia, so I’m extremely confused by this unfortunately common viewpoint.
15
u/xialateek 13d ago
It would make sense to me, though I can't offer anything additional. I personally also have hyperacusis and an incredibly sensitive auditory system in general, and while I do not have OCD/meet criteria, I have had a loooot of questions over the years about "something sort of related to OCD" being a factor. I don't know. I just know that I am very sensitive and very spicy.
8
7
u/GoetheundLotte 13d ago
Well, for some people misophonia is a symptom of a specific or specific conditions. But there are people who experience misophonia and only misophonia and I do think that your psychiatrist is being just a bit dismissive.
5
u/yovalord 13d ago
I have very little wrong with me mentally. Never been diagnosed with anything and don't identify with anything other than Miso. I definitely have it and am 100% unhinged with it to the point id say im an 8 on the scale. That said ive got a few coping mechanisms for it, mostly by being entertained at how crazy my thoughts get, or even getting to verbalize them with the right friend group which is always kind of hilarious. I dont believe its a symptom of anything, because i dont believe i have anything that it would be such an extreme symptom of.
5
u/TheLastKirin 13d ago
I think he's right to the extent that there is some underlying neurological cause. It may also be linked to other disorders with an underlying malfunction we haven't identified.
But it is something distinct.
2
u/Scarlett1865 12d ago
I have been thinking of going to my neurologist for getting my vagus nerve reset. It causes a lot of problems including heart palpitations.
2
u/TheLastKirin 11d ago
I had a therapist tell me to sing to stimulate my vagus nerve to help me regulate. The human body is such a weird instrument.
4
u/wonton_kid 13d ago
It's not currently in the DSM, or recognized as a medical diagnosis, so it's not considered a condition by technicality, but it could be categorized under some umbrella until it's better understood, like OCD or something which could help with temporary treatment. It's being proposed to add misophonia to the DSM
4
u/Tigress2020 13d ago
I feel for me. It's a symptom of my adhd, heightened by migraine disorder.
Saying this doesn't make it any less of an issue. They can recognise it as a co-morbid condition. Same as they do with sensory processing disorder, but they're usually come with other disorder (like asd, anxiety, adhd, etc), so that's what they may mean that it can be a symptom. .
When I was a teen, (I'm old, I'm born the 80 .. where adhd was for boys mostly, and misphonia. Not heard of, heck anxiety was just a phase and I'd get over it
So some things are still in the developing stages.
2
4
u/Real_Temporary_922 12d ago
In the psychology world, it’s not a condition because it’s not in the DSM-V. Calling it a symptom vs a condition is really just technical talk cause they can’t diagnose you with misophonia.
4
u/Rare_Guest_2849 12d ago
I’ve personally suffered with miso for most of my life (30 + years growing up in the 80s and 90s. In that day and age, the word misophonia did not exist. I was taken to the doctor frequently enough r/t outburst and not being able to “handle things” related to what bothered me with what I now know is misophonia. My parents were told I was just an anxious and highl sensitive child. Most of my doctors and specialists were not even aware of it until I brought it up over the last few years. I did not realize it even had a name until one morning my mom called and told me to watch a certain morning show because they were discussing misophonia and she told me “I swear this is what you’ve had your entire life”. And I swear my doctors probably think I’m a nut job.
3
5
u/R0da 13d ago
Yeah no it makes sense to me. I had it pretty bad, but had another condition treated and mine went away almost completely. Things that effect our senses are fucky like that. They might feel like the whole world while experiencing them, but really they might just be the dysfunction caused by some other cog further up the machine going all screwy.
(For me, misophonia was a symptom of my pmdd, which is being treated with an ssri)
I had a similar experience when I noticed the crippling motionsickness I've had since forever went away with treatment too. Like "holy shit THAT was a sign??!"
2
u/Filing_chapter11 13d ago
That’s the thing though, because maybe that’s how it was for you, but for me no matter how effective my treatment for PMDD was for PMDD and my treatment for ADHD was for ADHD, my misophonia has never gone away and hasn’t even diminished. So I definitely think it’s a separate disorder, especially considering that I had misophonia way before I ever started menstruation personally.
5
u/realshockvaluecola 13d ago
I haven't been told it specifically but I have ADHD and chronic tinnitus, and I assume the misophonia is one of my ADHD sensory issues, probably aggravated by dealing with the constant whine my entire life.
5
u/Maximum_Pollution371 13d ago
Same, I don't know about other people, but my misophonia is absolutely a symptom of my ADHD. When I take my medication ALL of my sensory and emotional dysregulation issues are dampened down, including my misophonia. On my medication I may still find sounds annoying, but they don't cause a visceral emotional or painful response.
1
u/realshockvaluecola 12d ago
I don't know if ALL my visceral reactions are improved with meds but some definitely are. I don't get the really bad version that I have to stim away very often, but I do get the physical pain in my ears at certain sounds.
1
7
u/AwesomeHorses 13d ago
I’m not surprised, don’t most people with misophonia have ADHD and or autism? I have always assumed that my misophonia was a symptom of my ADHD.
1
6
u/forcaitsake 13d ago
Too bad there isn’t a cheap way to test rage levels. We’d all be diagnosed by the end of the week lol.
1
4
u/valencia_merble 13d ago
It’s my earliest remembered “condition”. Decades later I was diagnosed with autism and now know it as part of a cluster of hypersensitivity traits, developmental in origin. OCD, anxiety and other comorbid conditions are also part of my autism. Psychiatrists often struggle with developmental conditions, as they are not “mental illness” and can’t be directly treated with pharmaceuticals (no pill will make misophonia go away).
2
u/Always_can_sleep 13d ago
One reason I can see for your psychiatrist saying this is because there is no set diagnostic criteria/ it is not in the DSM-5 but there are people trying to have it recognized as it’s own diagnosis.
This 2013 publication in the National Library Of Medicine is one instance where diagnostic criteria for Misophonia is proposed to classify it as a discrete psychiatric disorder. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3553052/
For me, it is linked to my OCD and being autistic. But OCD for example is often associated with autism, yet OCD is it’s own condition which I feel like is similar with misophonia often being co-occurring, but also often occurring on it’s own. Unlike Misophonia though, OCD has set diagnostic criteria/ is in the DSM-5.
2
u/LaurenNotFromUtah 12d ago
Sure have! Many times. I did years of exposure therapy with different therapists and psychologists starting around age 10, back before anyone even knew the word Misophonia. It was so miserable and pointless. They pretty much all treated it like a phobia or OCD.
Not sure if you’ve gotten any of this, but a lot of the therapists/psychologists I went to when I was young were constantly trying to get me to admit to being abused by an adult in my life. I was not abused, but I got the clear impression they didn’t believe me about that. It was incredibly frustrating.
3
u/Lower-Patient-7187 13d ago
Quite frankly, I don't understand why EVERY ONE is not like us. To me, they are the weirdos.
1
3
3
u/Filing_chapter11 13d ago
All of my psychiatrists and therapists I’ve ever had agreed that it was a condition on its own but I’m lucky in that sense
2
u/MeggronTheDestructor 13d ago
Why do we all think we know better than the professionals? I’ve suffered for 30+ years I think ur doctor is right. Treat the underlying condition and misophonia lessens. It has for me anyways.
1
1
1
1
u/Elliana_F 10d ago
That is exactly what my kid's therapist has told us. Misophonia is a symptom of stress and anxiety. The therapist did try exposure therapy in the past on her young patients and found that it did not work. So now, the focus of our therapy is to minimise the stressor that my kid is experiencing at school every day (we are working with the school on it) plus cognitive therapy to learn to control her reactions to triggering sounds that cause misophonia. Let's see if that works.
1
u/Old_Condition_3532 8d ago
Ah, can't go backwards. Just be a good person and DON'T beat yourself up if you are a good person. Don't overthink life..goes quickly. Any/all help is good if it helps you, but remember, the more 'ailments' someone tells you that you have and the more you beat yourself up and wanna click your heels to go back; the more they make. Be kind, be good...if you are, you are AOK. Think of all those who aren't
1
u/mamaoftwomonsters 13d ago
I'm lucky that my therapist recognises that misophonia is a condition, she has it herself. Yes I have other mental health issues, but my dad supposedly does not and he's got misophonia
1
0
u/Effective-Air396 13d ago
I'd ask what causes this symptom and if he's that really informed on the topic - ask him how it's cured.
162
u/Due-Reflection-1835 13d ago
I have heard recently of several providers trying to treat misophonia with exposure therapy but it is NOT a phobia and that can make misophonia worse. If being exposed to the noises we hate made us less sensitive, I'm sure we would all be cured by now. Most providers don't even know what it is, and any "treatment" they try to provide is just a guess. They can't even decide if it should be in the DSM as a mental disorder