MISOPHONIA: SYMPTOMS, COMORBIDITIES AND PERSPECTIVES OF INTERVENTION. FROM THEORY APPROACH TO INTEGRATED CLINICAL PRACTICE RESEARCH

Abstract

Recent scientific studies have noted that misophonia is a complex neurophysiological and behavioural syndrome characterised by high physiological and emotional reactivity, resulting from an intolerance to specific auditory stimuli. People with this distress have emotional and behavioural responses, excessive in relation to the auditory stimulus that provokes them; in fact, these people may have outbursts of anger, severe anxiety crises, and even panic attacks. One of the questions that the first studies of this syndrome have asked was what link occurred between misophonia and certain psychological disorders such as anxiety, depression, and personality disorders. Another important research objective was to examine the differential diagnosis between misophonia and hearing disorders such as tinnitus. In view of the current literature on misophonia, it has become important to define the comorbidity and differential diagnosis of misophonia with other disorders. The next step is, through further research on clinical cases, to define the most effective psychotherapeutic techniques on misophonic symptoms, and the psychoeducational tools needed to intervene in family systems with misophonic patients. Keywords: comorbidity, differential diagnosis, psychological disorders, hearing disorders, misophonia, behavioural response, emotional response, psychoeducational tools, psychotherapeutic techniques