Hyperacusis/misophonia and mental illness

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26. I have known about autism for 11 years. I have observed for awhile that the sound of others' voices are unbearable for me in certain circumstances. While I am probably more sensitive than the average to sounds in general I have the ability to adapt to where they don't bother me usually but I continue to be vexed by voices. Only recently have I learned of what hyperacusis and misophonia are. From searching the forums it seems like having one or both is not uncommon here but I did not read of anyone who really hit on having the problem with voices in particular.

To clarify, tone of voices and volume of voices especially, multiple people talking at once, speed of talking are the things I can think of that can be overwhelming. There are a lot of variables I can't predict so I like to avoid people I'm not very familiar with when I can and groups. It's only in real life, regardless of my temperament or if I feel anxiety or not - I can listen to radio and tv without much issue and I haven't been able to translate them to make it one bit easier on myself maddeningly.

While I definitely struggle with other aspects of autism, I am starting to think there is no other trait coming that close to explain why I'm having apparent mental health problems and pretty much never venture outside home. It's shameful. I never felt these kinds of levels of shame until becoming a young adult where I had a couple encounters being verbally berated in a way that never happened (in a situation that wouldn't be considered extreme by more objective standards). I haven't had a proper doctor appointment in 8 years, which isn't crippling yet as I'm in my 20s without serious medical concerns but at some point I think I need to find a way that getting to a doctor feels more comfortable than being alone in physical pain?

hiya Tasma
welcome to la cosa aspie nostra
i have a relative that whenever said relative talks, it is like a blasting off-key bugle is right next to my ear.

Hi tasma, welcome to WP
(or 'me casa, su casa' said in a Godfather-style accent)

It sounds like your sensitivity to voices is severely restricting you, it'd be a shame to carry on without trying to find something to help reduce the discomfort. I assume you've already tried earplugs / music in headphones?

Meanwhile, dive on into WP - blissfully voice-free

I think I suffer from misophonia, but then again it might be that people are just annoyingly predictable and repeditive when talking I just want them to shut up!

Hello. I have hyperacusis and I have recovered from misophobia. I understand how incredibly painful the noise can be, although my hyperacusis increases everything so loud that I can't hear voices at all! They just sound like long droning noises! If it causes you this much problem, please try and find an audiologist who is trained in treating hyperacusis. I know I make this sound easy, it isn't, but there is treatment for hyperacusis. I wear a couple of 'hearing aids' which put a gentle white noise into my ears. It calms my ears down a lot and over time, I am able to turn the white noise up more as my inner volume re-adjusts. The most important thing is to not wear ear plugs. I know this sounds counter-productive, but if you can understand the delicate working of the ear/central auditory processing then you would understand that this makes sense. Basically, when a person starts to go deaf for whatever reason, the internal volume turns up because the brain detects that the hearing is decreasing. This is what also happens when you wear earplugs. I have been wearing earplugs since I was 12 years old and it has caused damage to my inner processing. By wearing the white noise machines and never wearing earplugs any more, I am getting better. If you search 'hyperacusis network' on Google, there is a great website for people with our condition and it has a forum which can be useful to talk to others with hyperacusis, some of whom are cured or better. It is not the end of the world, it can be cured, but it takes a long time and patience.

_________________
I have HFA, ADHD, OCD & Tourette syndrome. I love animals, especially my bunnies and hamster. I skate in a roller derby team (but I'll try not to bite )

I can barely be around people for very long, because the noises and even repetitive movements they make drives me crazy. Lucky, it doesn't happen all the time, so my system gets enough of a rest to make living with others bearable.