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ANXIETY

Do I Have Misophonia or
Jennifer J. Brout Psy.D,
Anxiety or Both?
LPC Understanding some differences between anxiety and
Noises Off misophonia.
Posted July 3, 2017 | Reviewed by Ekua Hagan

It is easy to become confused about the relationship between misophonia

THE BASICS
and anxiety. People often wonder if misophonia causes anxiety. And, people
What Is Anxiety? wonder if anxiety causes misophonia, or makes it worse. Whether you suffer ADVERTISEMENT

from misophonia, have a loved one with the disorder, or are a clinician,
Find a therapist to thinking about the differences and similarities between anxiety and miso‐
overcome anxiety phonia may be very helpful.

Preliminary research demonstrates that misophonia and anxiety are two

separate disorders. However, the two conditions certainly interact (Cavanna
& Seri, 2015). Both misophonia and anxiety tap into the same neurophysio‐
logical systems. That is, when one feels anxious the part of the brain that
readies a person for flight/flight is activated (Ledoux, 2015). This is the same
for misophonia.

When we feel anxious or when we react aversively to a misophonic trigger, Anxiety Essential Reads
we feel the effects of the nervous system being aroused. For example, one
may feel their heart beating fast, their palms becoming sweaty, and so on
(Rouw & Erfanian, 2017). In both misophonia and with anxiety, as we experi‐ Adolescence and the Use
of Parental Worry
ence this neurophysiological reaction, we simultaneously form thoughts
about what is happening to us. However, there is an essential difference be‐
tween misophonia and anxiety. Vagus Nerve Facilitates
Guts, Wits, and Grace
Under Pressure
For the most part, misophonia begins with an
external stimulus (usually a sound, and some‐ Why “Take a Deep Breath”
times a visual cue). In misophonia, if the Is Bad Advice
sound or visual was not present, one would
not react to it. [1] This is different from anxiety. What to Do When Your
Anxiety Won’t Go Away
With anxiety, an internal stimulus may bring
about nervous system activation. Now, this is Anti-Anxiety Medications Explained
Source: Courtesy of Pexels not “perfect science." For some people with
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misophonia, just thinking about a trigger
might cause reactivity. However, as a general rule, this is a good way to start
understanding how anxiety and misophonia are similar and different.

For many people with misophonia, the aversive reactivity goes away as
soon as the sound is no longer present, or at least one feels the responsivity
abating in the absence of the auditory (or visual) stimuli. For example, if one
is triggered and leaves the dinner table, the nervous system calms very
quickly, or at least soon after. This is because the misophonia trigger is com‐
ing from the outside world, it is for the most part, external.

Anxiety, on the other hand, can be activated simply because a person is

thinking about something they are concerned about. For example, one
might feel anxious about a job interview or a school assignment that is due
the next day, or one may evaluate the potential consequences of something
from their past. For example, an individual may think, “I am very worried
about how I did on my final exam." Here, the internal stimuli (the thought)
cause the reaction. In addition, anxiety may be long-lasting because we can
continue to think about that which we are worried about for quite some
time. Again, this is not “perfect science” and is somewhat simplistic, but it
helps to remember this:
Allbirds
Allbirds

Anxiety is often brought about by things we may think about or worry about.
This is internal.
Find a Therapist
Get the help you need from a
Sounds or sights bring about misophonia as they enter our system through therapist near you–a FREE service
the outside world (external stimuli). from Psychology Today.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that anxiety (or anxious feelings) doesn’t make City or Zip
the misophonic response worse. If one is anxious because they are thinking
about something provocative, the nervous system is already on alert. The
person is already “revved up." Then, when the misophonic trigger occurs,
one will escalate more quickly and with more intensity. Similarly, an anxious
person may react with more intensity to auditory or visual stimuli from the
outside world.

Unfortunately, many of us also worry (or become anxious) about misophonia,

Cities:
and/or about entering a place where we know triggers are present. This is
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anticipatory anxiety. Minneapolis, MN
Austin, TX
Nashville, TN
What can one do about this? Baltimore, MD
New York, NY
Boston, MA
Oakland, CA
I always say that the first step to coping with misophonia is understanding Brooklyn, NY
Omaha, NE
what it is. Once an individual has a basic understanding of how sounds af‐ Charlotte, NC
Philadelphia, PA
fect their nervous system, one may begin to feel a little less overwhelmed. Chicago, IL
Phoenix, AZ
Understanding your own responses to triggers is certainly not a “miracle Columbus, OH
Pittsburgh, PA
cure." However, we tend to be less overwhelmed by what we understand. Dallas, TX
Portland, OR
Denver, CO
Raleigh, NC
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Detroit, MI
Sacramento, CA
Houston, TX
Saint Louis, MO
Indianapolis, IN
San Antonio, TX
Jacksonville, FL
San Diego, CA
Las Vegas, NV
San Francisco, CA
Los Angeles, CA
San Jose, CA
Louisville, KY
Seattle, WA
Memphis, TN
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Washington, DC
Milwaukee, WI

Focus on the thoughts you have about misophonia and how these
thoughts differ from anxiety. Are you a Therapist? Get Listed Today

For example, my first thought upon hearing a trigger sound is often “Oh
no, not again” or “Please stop." This is distinctly different than “worrying”
or feeling anxious about something, even though the nervous system
response is similar.

Once you have differentiated misophonia reactivity from anxiety, it helps to

clarify what you are experiencing with regard to both. Although this may not
significantly change the automatic nervous system response, "unpacking"
your own experiences is a definitive step toward coping with the disorder.

[1] While most people with misophonia report that they feel much calmer when stimuli is re‐

moved, there are some for whom the stimuli persists in memory. This is true of both visual

and auditory stimuli.

For more information about misophonia, click here and here.

References

Cavanna, A.E. and Neal, M. (January 2013). Selective Sound Sensitivity Syndrome
(Misophonia) in a Patient with Tourette Syndrome. The Journal of Neuropsychiatry
and Clinical Neurosciences. Vol. 25 (1). doi:10.1176/appi.neuropsych.11100235.

Ledoux, J.E. (2015). Anxious.: Using the Brain to Understand and Treat Anxiety. Pen‐
guin Press New York.

Rouw, R and Erfanian, M. (May 2017). A Large-Scale Study of Misophonia. Journal of

Clinical Psychology. DOI: 10.1002/jclp.22500

About the Jennifer Brout, Psy.D., who suffers from misophonia,

helped found the Sensory Processing and Emotion
Author Regulation Program at Duke University.

Online: JJB Counseling & Consultation, LLC, Facebook, LinkedIn,

Twitter

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