Misophonia for Medical Professionals

Misophonia for Clinicians

Prevalence studies indicate that around 5 percent of the population experiences misophonia¹ in a way which impacts their lives, sometimes to a disabling degree.

This page helps school psychologists know what misophonia is, how to recognize it, how to support students who struggle with it, and to provide resources for everyone to manage life with this common, but misunderstood, sensory-based disorder.

What is Misophonia?

“Misophonia is a disorder of decreased tolerance to specific sounds or stimuli associated with such sounds. These stimuli, known as “triggers,” are experienced as unpleasant or distressing and tend to evoke strong negative emotional, physiological, and behavioral responses that are not seen in most other people.”

— from Consensus Definition of Misophonia [2022]

What misophonia can look like:

  • Covering ones ears or using other methods to block sounds, such as wearing headphones often or having background noise such as a fan on constantly.

  • Or also, staring intently at the source of a particular sound or certain distracting motions.

  • Dysregulation of mood

  • Unexplained withdrawal from classroom or social activities.

  • Unexplained inattention.

  • Unexplained anxiety or irritation .

  • Outbursts that are not characteristic of the individual.

  • Panic attacks.

  • Signs of general sensory-overload (e.g. appearing to shut down, or "space out")

  • Unexplained crying.

  • Frequent requests for trips to the bathroom or to leave the room.

  • Frequent requests to see the nurse or to go outside.

  • Turning of head or body away from specific sounds, sights, or people.

  • Excessive tiredness

Although misophonia can certainly co-occur with other disorders and conditions, misophonia is not any of these. It is not a symptom of the other conditions. It is a unique disorder on its own.

Misophonia can be mistaken for:

  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder [ADHD]

  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder [OCD].

  • Emotion dysregulation

  • Bipolar Disorder

  • Sensory Processing Disorder

  • Anxiety disorders

  • Oppositional defiant disorder [ODD]

  • Anger issues

  • Various audiological conditions

  • Other conditions

Our free 1-hour online course for clinicians is a great place to start when learning about misophonia and how to support your students and others who might experience this disorder.

Take our free short course on misophonia for clinicians.

Misophonia Clinician References

Assessing Misophonia in Clients

About the Duke Misophonia Assessments

Intro to the Duke Misophonia Questionnaire [DMQ]

Intro to the Duke Misophonia Interview [DMI]

About the S-FIVE Assessment [Selective Sound Sensitivity Syndrome Scale]

Other Misophonia Assessments:

Recommended Articles for Clinicians

Recommended Research about Misophonia for Clinicians.

¹ Prevalence, phenomenology, and impact of misophonia in a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults [May 2024] by Dixon, L. J., Schadegg, M. J., Clark, H. L., Sevier, C. J., & Witcraft, S. M. [Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science]

Stay in touch to learn more about thriving with misophonia.