Misophonia and affective disorders: The relationship and clinical perspective

Abstract

Misophonia is characterized by aversive reactivity to repetitive and pattern based auditory stimuli [1]. Misophonic sufferers demonstrate autonomic nervous system arousal, accompanied by heightened emotional distress. Sufferers describe extreme irritation, anger, and aggressive urge with physiological reactions including hypertonia, diaphoresis and tachycardia [2]. Some studies have found comorbidity with psychiatric disorders. However, most of these studies used small samples and few experimental methodologies [3]. This study identifies the possible relationship between misophonia and affective disorders, and any difference between the severity of misophonia in male and female patients. Fifty misophonic patients (female = 25, mean age = 46.28) were evaluated with Amsterdam Misophonia Scale (A-MISO-S) for the diagnosis of misophonia and with the M.I.N.I International Neuropsychiatric Interview for the diagnosis of affective disorders. Among n = 50 misophonic patients, we found major depression (MDD) = 11, melancholic depression = 5, dysthymia = 11, suicidality = 10, manic = 3, panic disorder = 8, agoraphobia = , social phobia = , obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) = 14, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) = 15. Misophonia was associated with MDD (U = 76, P = .001), suicidality (U = 67, P = .001), OCD (U = 115, P = .002) and PTSD (U = 142.5, P = .008). There was an indication of a significant difference between men and women in severity of misophonia (U = 160.5, P = .002). The presence of these varying affective disorders suggests that the sufferers are at high risk for affective disorders. Investigation of the co-morbidity will assist researchers to better understand the nature of the symptoms and how they may be interacting.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.