Misophonia Argument Paper
Chewing Is An Issue
People all over the world have sounds that rarely occur that irritate them, like nails on a chalk board, a fork scraping a plate, or car alarms. But sometimes every day sounds that most people barely notice, other people really notice. Some major examples are sounds like chewing, nail tapping, swallowing, and the clicking of a keyboard. These individuals do not notice these sounds more because they want to; their mind automatically detects the sounds and continues to focus on them. These people usually become enraged by the sounds they hear because a switch inside their head has been flipped to activate a negative response. This oversensitivity to small sounds is a mental disorder called Misophonia. It is a neurological disorder in which the fight or flight response is triggered by specific everyday sounds. The sounds can range anywhere from loud to soft. Many people are unaware that Misophonia exists. Since the disorder is relatively new, individuals who have the disorder are unaware that there is a name for it and that they are not alone. Misophonics are usually treated unfairly by family members, coworkers, and friends. They assume that the disorder is really just an overreaction to sound, a ploy to get attention, or that Misophonia is just a "label" to identify with. The people who assume that Misophonics are making up their disorder need to stop assuming and educate themselves on what Misophonia is. The misunderstandings of the disorder are unfair because the sound of chewing can literally drive a person with Misophonia crazy. Help is available for individuals with the disorder; the help is sparse though and does not completely cure the problem. Medical professionals are continuing to learn more about the disorder, people who question the authenticity need to become better educated that the individuals affected did not choose this life of constant torment.
Misophonia is literally the hatred of sound. Within the past 15 years, several
People all over the world have sounds that rarely occur that irritate them, like nails on a chalk board, a fork scraping a plate, or car alarms. But sometimes every day sounds that most people barely notice, other people really notice. Some major examples are sounds like chewing, nail tapping, swallowing, and the clicking of a keyboard. These individuals do not notice these sounds more because they want to; their mind automatically detects the sounds and continues to focus on them. These people usually become enraged by the sounds they hear because a switch inside their head has been flipped to activate a negative response. This oversensitivity to small sounds is a mental disorder called Misophonia. It is a neurological disorder in which the fight or flight response is triggered by specific everyday sounds. The sounds can range anywhere from loud to soft. Many people are unaware that Misophonia exists. Since the disorder is relatively new, individuals who have the disorder are unaware that there is a name for it and that they are not alone. Misophonics are usually treated unfairly by family members, coworkers, and friends. They assume that the disorder is really just an overreaction to sound, a ploy to get attention, or that Misophonia is just a "label" to identify with. The people who assume that Misophonics are making up their disorder need to stop assuming and educate themselves on what Misophonia is. The misunderstandings of the disorder are unfair because the sound of chewing can literally drive a person with Misophonia crazy. Help is available for individuals with the disorder; the help is sparse though and does not completely cure the problem. Medical professionals are continuing to learn more about the disorder, people who question the authenticity need to become better educated that the individuals affected did not choose this life of constant torment.
Misophonia is literally the hatred of sound. Within the past 15 years, several
Cited: Bethea, Charles. "The Chewing Sounds and The Fury." Full Text Electronic Journal List. N.p., 15 July 2013. Web. 04 Nov. 2013. Cohen, Joyce. "When a Chomp or a Slurp Is a Trigger for Outrage." The New York Times 05 Sept. 2011: n. pag. Print. Edelstein, Miren, David Brang, Romke Rouw, and Vilayanur S. Ramachandran. "Misophonia: Physiological Investigations and Case Descriptions." Full Text Electronic Journal List. N.p., 25 June 2013. Web. 30 Oct. 2013.