Learning to deal with "mouth noises"

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I read a thread about phobias & was shocked to see how many other people are driven absolutely mad by mouth noises, scratching sounds etc...how many of you have been able to overcome it & how did you do it? Sneezing, coughing, scratching, loud breathers, people who smack their lips or suck on their teeth to like get food out (gross) just make me crazy! I go into a rage & would love to learn tips to deal. Thanks in advance!

The correct term is "misophonia", I believe. Take a look at these:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misophonia

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/0 ... 53892.html

Google the term and see what else you can find. While I don't really think I have it (I find such sounds mildly aggravating, but not to this extent), others on this forum can probably tell you plenty.

I agree with mouth noises-heavy breathers are what I like to describe as "snoring while awake" you can imagine the little dangly thing in the back of their throat vibrating while they breathe.

that sounds like misophonia; its common with people on the spectrum and is a hatred of sound; but more specificaly those exact sounds have mentioned.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misophonia
hyperacusis is more common with the autistic spectrum than misophonia but theres so little research done theyre probably deviations of the same thing anyway.
am in the profound level of hyperacusis,due to both being severely autistic and the years of brain injury from lifelong daily unprotected head banging [though have worn a padded helmet for years it wasnt soon enough] ,it didnt become profound until late teens but theres no way of curing mine,there is in some peoples circumstances; there is software available for it,it costs a lot of money though,it plays noises at certain frequencies and is controled by the person,however this woudnt be helpful for misophonia because it is a hatred of sound rather than sensitivity to frequencies.

see the GP and ask for a referal to a developmental audiologist,they have these in most big hospitals, they are very useful but dont expect to get anything on NHS [assuming were in UK that is].

have spent years trying to deal with it using all sorts of methods, laserlite ear plugs and peltor optime III ear defenders- but it gets to a point where these add to sensitivity from wearing them for so long so will need them in more and more,but that really is just as damaging in the long term,with mine have got to the point am wearing them hardly any time anymore but always at night.
the worst thing can do though is avoid sound.

there are many different websites available which offer free streaming of specific sounds,am not able to listen to any sound at all through speakers/headphones but have tried these at lowest volume.
aparently they can be very helpful for sound difficulty because the person is in control of it and can help themselves build a tolerance over time.

it shoud never be used without trying less toxic methods first but probably the most helpful tool has been respiridone/respirdal, an anti pyschotic am prescribed for severe autism,it has helped greatly with dealing with sound.

Making a conscious effort to relax - focussing on my breathing, tensing and relaxing muscles helps a little, but not much.

I find avoidance of trigger noises is pretty much the only thing that works. The cinema is nightmarish as people chomp and slurp their way through films! I didn't go to the cinema at all for almost 20 years, but now I go with my son - when it's quiet and we always sit away from other people and if people come in and sit near us with food, we move away from from them.

Yeah, avoiding the trigger noises. That's really the only thing that works.

Wow! Thank you all so much, I had never heard of misophonia before! & yes the cinema is DEF hard...I always make sure to get there very early so I can sit in the very back on the side so that way I don't have anyone behind me & if it gets to bad i.e. someone in front, I can easily leave.

marcia,
check out the local cinemas to see if they are running any autism friendly showings,have never been to the cinema before but fellow residents am living with do go to our local and aparently its very good sound wise [though that is NT staff who said that].
perhaps there shoud be areas of seating in cinemas where they are 'no food allowed'.

Thanks, I should check that out. At least one cinema near me does autism friendly screenings, monthly I think.

Btw, I'm glad to see you back here and posting again, KoR. I missed you.

Oh man, the town I live in is so small, I could only dream of them having autism friendly showings Husband & I are planning a move to a much bigger city & I will start to look & see if I can find some cinemas that offer those viewings.

My daughter has a phobia against coughing and sneezing, thanks KOR and Conundrum for the links....

Avoidance only makes it worse.
The only thing that works is controlled exposure; where you expose yourself to increasing levels of the disturbing noise incrementally and build up your tolerance level.

By all means don't over expose yourself, or expose yourself to overstimulation of any sort if you are feeling depressed, anxious or vulnerable, but you have to live with unpleasant and unwanted noise in everyday life, and you need to work out the strategy that makes living in the world tolerable, even if you can't make it as pleasant as you'd prefer.

Sometimes the only viable solution is avoidance, but this should only be used if there is no other option, otherwise you risk becoming a victim of your condition, fears, and difficulties, and that is no way to live.

Another Aspie with misophonia here.

There are several large online groups for people with misophonia and several research papers have begun to appear, as well as a number of books in Amazon and other online shops.

- Google "misophonia groups" and you will find a number of websites with forums, etc.
- Go to Amazon and search for misophonia and you will find a number of references - one prominent recent publication is "Sound Rage", although I haven't read it and cannot say anything positive or negative about its qualty.

Many people with misophonia either have no diagnosed disorders or have some kind of anxiety disorder, ADHD, or (according to a Dutch psychiatric journal article) obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (not quite the same thing as OCD). One online misophonia group I belong to has very few Aspies, but quite a few people with OCD and other anxiety disorders.

Some people - notably a few prominent audiologists - associate misophonia with tinnitus and other hearing problems. Some psychologists speculate that misophonia is a conditioned reflex. Some brain researchers take misophonia to be some kind of wiring problem - a neurological condition. There is very little hard core published research on the condition, and it has no offical status. Very few drugs appear to be effective in treating misophonia, and traditional phobia treatments like exposure therapy can be counter-productive for misophonia (it may just be excruciating, not desensitizing). Some people are trying neurofeedback, some are trying various types of psychological therapy (e.g. Cognitive Behviour Therapy), and most seem to use devices like music players to drown out trigger sounds and cope in public places.

I agree with mouth noises-heavy breathers are what I like to describe as "snoring while awake" you can imagine the little dangly thing in the back of their throat vibrating while they breathe.

Through late childhood and teens I was aggravated to the point of hysteria by heavy breathers, especially those with nose-sounds, and people who could eat noisy, even with their mouths closed. Thank god I am not that sensitive to it anymore.