What is the Difference Between Hyperacusis and Misophonia

The key difference between hyperacusis and misophonia is that hyperacusis is a form of sensitive hearing which causes physical discomfort, while misophonia is a form of sensitive hearing which causes strong emotional responses to sound.

Sometimes certain sounds may make people uncomfortable, even sending a shiver down their spine. Sensitive hearing is a common issue that can have a big impact on peoples’ quality of life. Hyperacusis and misophonia are two forms of sensitive hearing. These conditions trigger a visceral reaction from people when they hear certain sounds in the environment. Both these conditions can be effectively treated with hearing aids and therapeutic interventions.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Hyperacusis  
3. What is Misophonia
4. Similarities – Hyperacusis and Misophonia
5. Hyperacusis vs Misophonia in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Hyperacusis vs Misophonia

What is Hyperacusis?

Hyperacusis is a form of sensitive hearing that causes physical discomfort. It causes physical pain in the ears. The degree of pain depends on the volume of the sound. Therefore, louder sounds will elicit a more painful reaction. Moreover, the pain can manifest as pressure or loud ringing in the ears. The episodes of pain can last for a long period of time. Hyperacusis is also usually linked to previous ear trauma like long-term noise exposure or physical damage. This condition affects 1 in 50000 people. Most people who have this condition also have a condition called tinnitus, which is a buzzing or ringing in the ear. Hyperacusis symptoms may include depression, anxiety, ear pain, relationship problems, and trouble connecting with others. Some people are only mildly affected by certain sounds, and others have severe symptoms such as loss of balance and seizures.

The causes of hyperacusis include injury to the head, damage to one or both ears due to medications or toxins, viral infections, temporomandibular joint disorder, Lyme disease, Tay Sachs disease, migraine headaches, using Valium regularly, certain kinds of epilepsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, Meniere’s disease, posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, autism, surgery on the jaw or face, and Williams syndrome. This condition can be diagnosed through medical history evaluation, physical examination, questionnaire, and hearing test (pure tone audiometry). Furthermore, hyperacusis treatment options include cognitive behavioural therapy, tinnitus retraining therapy, sound desensitization, alternative remedies (exercise, yoga, massage, meditation, acupuncture), and surgery.

What is Misophonia?

Misophonia is a form of sensitive hearing that causes strong emotional responses to sounds. It is a disorder in which certain sounds stimulate emotional or physiological responses that some might perceive as unreasonable given the circumstance. These sounds drive the person suffering from misophonia crazy. Their crazy reactions can range from anger, annoyance, panic, or a need to flee. The symptoms of this disorder may include anxiety, discomfort, urge to flee, disgust, rage, anger, hatred, panic, fear, emotional distress, verbal or physical aggression. Moreover, the causes of misophonia include brain chemistry (people with misophonia may have greater connectivity between the anterior insular cortex), other mental conditions (obsessive-compulsive disorder, Tourette syndrome, anxiety disorders), tinnitus, and genetics (runs in family).

Misophonia is diagnosed thorough medical history, physical examination, and by detecting emotional responses to certain sounds. Furthermore, the treatment options for misophonia include cognitive behavioural therapy, medications (β -blocker propranolol), tinnitus retraining therapy, counter conditioning, stress inoculation training, and exposure therapy.

What are the Similarities Between Hyperacusis and Misophonia?

• Hyperacusis and misophonia are two forms of sensitive hearing.
• Both conditions affect the ear.
• Both conditions can occur because of other mental disorders.
• They are treated by ENT specialties.

What is the Difference Between Hyperacusis and Misophonia?

Hyperacusis is a form of sensitive hearing that causes physical discomfort to sounds, while misophonia is a form of sensitive hearing that causes strong emotional responses to sounds. Thus, this is the key difference between hyperacusis and misophonia.

Furthermore, the causes of hyperacusis include injury to the head, damage to one or both ears due to medications or toxins, viral infections, temporomandibular joint disorder, Lyme disease, Tay Sachs disease, migraine headaches, using Valium regularly, certain kinds of epilepsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, Meniere’s disease, posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, autism, surgery on the jaw or face, and Williams syndrome. On the other hand, the causes of misophonia include brain chemistry (people with misophonia may have greater connectivity between the anterior insular cortex (AIC), other mental conditions (obsessive-compulsive disorder, Tourette syndrome, anxiety disorders), tinnitus, and genetics.

The below infographic presents the differences between hyperacusis and misophonia in tabular form for side by side comparison.

Summary – Hyperacusis vs Misophonia

Hyperacusis and misophonia are two forms of sensitive hearing. Among these, a hyperacusis is a form of sensitive hearing that causes physical discomfort to sounds. Whereas, misophonia is a form of sensitive hearing which causes strong emotional responses to sounds. So, this is the key difference between hyperacusis and misophonia.

Reference:

1. Konstantinovsky, Michelle. “Hyperacusis: Sound Sensitivity Causes and Treatment.” WebMD.
2. “What Is Misophonia?” WebMD.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Autism Aspect Sensory Sensitivity 1” By MissLunaRose12 – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Figure 1. Misophonia trigger, reflex, and emotions” By Tomdozier – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia