Can't Stand the Sound of Chewing? Actor Melissa Gilbert Struggles Too

Key Takeaways

• Someone who has misophonia experiences intense negative emotion in response to certain sounds other people make, like chewing.
• The actor Melissa Gilbert revealed in an interview with People that she's had misophonia since childhood.
• Personalized treatment at a misophonia clinic "changed my whole life," she said.

Actor Melissa Gilbert, known for her childhood role as Laura, aka "Half Pint," in the TV series Little House on the Prairie , is sharing her difficult experiences with a neurological condition known as misophonia.

For people with misophonia, everyday noises made by other people like chewing or even breathing can provoke intense feelings of distress.

If any of her Little House co-stars would chew gum, eat, or tap their nails, "I would want to run away so badly," Gilbert said in an interview with People .

"I would turn beet red, and my eyes would fill up with tears and I'd just sit there feeling absolutely miserable and horribly guilty for feeling so hateful towards all these people - people I loved," she recounted.

It was "a really dark and difficult part of my childhood," said Gilbert, now age 60 and married to Thirtysomething actor Timothy Busfield.

Once she became a mother, her children knew that their chewing could set their mother off, and gum was forbidden. Her reactions became even more intense once she reached menopause.

"As the estrogen leaked out, the anger seeped in and it started to really affect me on a daily basis with loved ones," she said.

Gilbert knew the condition had a name, but she didn't know there was treatment available until she learned about the Duke Center for Misophonia and Emotional Regulation in Durham, North Carolina, and underwent intensive therapy. "It's changed my whole life," Gilbert told People .

She chose to share her diagnosis in order to promote the work of the center and help others who may be struggling.

What Is Misophonia?

People with misophonia typically have an unusually strong sensitivity and strong negative reactions to different trigger noises made by other people that are commonly oral or facial, such as slurping, crunching, chewing, breathing, and throat clearing, says Zach Rosenthal, PhD , a clinical psychologist and the director of the Duke Health center in Durham, North Carolina.

Those sounds can bug anyone under the right circumstances, so how can you tell if your reactions are a sign of the disorder? According to experts, it's the intensity of your reaction and how much it interferes with your daily life.

If the sound slightly annoys you, you are a normal human being; if it makes you so angry you want to hurt someone, it could mean you have misophonia.

Although others often think someone with misophonia is overreacting, the person may experience their feelings of anger or annoyance as uncontrollable.

"No one with misophonia wants misophonia," says Dr. Rosenthal.

Misophonia May Trigger Fight-or-Flight Response

Research on misophonia suggests that certain sounds trigger a fight-or-flight response by the autonomic nervous system that doesn't occur in people without the condition.

It's possible that people with misophonia have very sensitive alarm systems and experience these harmless sounds as threats, says Rosenthal.

Is There a Way to Get a Misophonia Diagnosis?

Misophonia isn't technically a medical diagnosis, says Rosenthal.

"But providers can use validated self-report questionnaires such as the Duke Misophonia Questionnaire or clinical interviews like the Duke Misophonia Interview to assess someone's triggers, adverse reactions, and associated daily impairment caused by these experiences," he says.

Misophonia Is Not the Same as OCD

"Sometimes clinicians wrongly confuse misophonia as obsessive-compulsive disorder , but the scientific research is clear about this: Misophonia is not simply a type of OCD," says Rosenthal.

And OCD isn't the most common mental health diagnosis for people who also have misophonia - anxiety and other mood disorders seem to be the most common, he says.

Healthcare providers may also misdiagnose misophonia as hyperacusis, an audiologic diagnosis for people who experience sounds as louder than those around them do, says Rosenthal.

"Misophonic trigger sounds can be soft, loud, and everything in between; hyperacusis is related to loudness discomfort," he explains.

What Is the Treatment for Misophonia?

There is no single specific treatment for all people with misophonia because people with the condition are all very different and need individualized approaches, says Rosenthal.

Based on the currently available research, it's thought that the most useful treatment plans are flexible, multi-disciplinary, and tailored to the patient, and that they involve family members and use evidence-based practices, he says.

Cognitive behavioral therapies (CBTs) can help people develop new patterns for thinking, managing emotions, and learning how to react to emotional distress related to misophonia and improve everyday functioning.

Other specialists may also become involved in treatment depending on the severity of the disorder and whether other issues like anxiety disorders or depression are involved:

• Audiologists can assess hearing and can use sound generators to neutralize triggering noises in order to diminish the response.
• Occupational therapists may provide multisensory therapy to improve functioning around triggering cues to help people handle everyday encounters in a healthy way.
• Neurologists can rule out or address underlying issues that might be contributing to misophonia symptoms.

In some cases, doctors may prescribe medications to help address existing mental health conditions and the emotional and behavioral problems associated with misophonia.

Is Misophonia a Lifelong Condition?

Available research suggests that misophonia is a lifelong condition, but more long-term studies are needed to confirm this.

Although the condition isn't dangerous or life-threatening, it can negatively affect mental health, relationships, and well-being.

Treatment may help people manage the condition and improve their quality of life.

What to Do if You Think You Have Misophonia

"Our advice is to stay educated and aware of the rapidly growing science of misophonia, talk to your pediatrician or primary care provider about it, give them information that is trustworthy about misophonia, and seek help from professionals offering assessment and treatment that is grounded in reasonable scientific evidence," Rosenthal says.

Remember, there is no one specific treatment for all people with misophonia, and anyone who promises to have found a "cure" should be viewed cautiously, says Rosenthal.

"But that does not mean people should feel hopeless about getting help," he emphasizes. "Seek care from an audiologist who treats sound intolerance problems, like hyperacusis or tinnitus [ringing in the ears] . And seek care from mental health providers offering evidence-based treatments that can be tailored individually to improve coping skills and improve daily functioning."

Editorial Sources and Fact-Checking

Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy . We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.

Sources

1. Melissa Gilbert Reveals She Has Neurological Disability Misophonia: ‘Dark and Difficult Part of My Childhood. People . August 20, 2024.
2. Moyer MW. When You Can't Stand the Sound of Chewing (or Crunching, or Sniffling). The New York Times . September 12, 2022.
3. Edelstein M et al. Misophonia: physiological investigations and case descriptions. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience . June 25, 2013.
4. Misophonia. Duke Health . August 7, 2022.
5. Misophonia. Cleveland Clinic . June 20, 2023.

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Becky Upham

Author

Becky Upham has been professionally involved in health and wellness for almost 20 years. She's been a race director, a recruiter for Team in Training for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, a salesperson for a major pharmaceutical company, a blogger for Moogfest, a communications manager for Mission Health, a fitness instructor, and a health coach.

She majored in English at the University of North Carolina and has a master's in English writing from Hollins University.

Upham enjoys teaching cycling classes, running, reading fiction, and making playlists.

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