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“Mad Men” star January Jones, 47, has revealed her lifelong struggle with misophonia, a disorder characterized by an extreme sensitivity to sound that can disrupt daily life and social interactions.
In an Instagram video posted Thursday, Jones said, “I’d like to talk about something that I’ve been struggling with my whole life, which is called misophonia. My whole life. And it’s gotten progressively worse over the years.”
The mother of one isn’t alone in this battle. Here’s everything you need to know about misophonia, which is estimated to affect up to 20% of Americans.
What is misophonia?
People with misophonia are emotionally affected by common sounds. These sonic triggers are usually made by others and can include, but are not limited to, breathing, yawning, lip smacking or chewing, and repetitive noises such as finger tapping and pen clicking.
Hearing these sounds or related triggers generates a strong, unpleasant fight-or-flight reaction.
Emotional responses can include anger, anxiety, disgust, fear and irritation. Physical effects can manifest as tightness in the chest, increased heart rate and blood pressure, sweating and goosebumps.
Meanwhile, behavioral reactions to these sounds can include avoiding or leaving situations where triggers may be present, talking to or yelling at the person responsible for the sound and engaging in violent or nonviolent interventions to stop it.
What are misophonia symptoms?
Some people with misophonia have only one trigger sound, while others have several.
Reactions to this trigger, or to triggers, fall on a spectrum of severity. Some can’t control their emotions but can regulate their responses, while others struggle to manage both.
For Jones, one such trigger is the crunching sound of chips being chewed.
“I have a brother-in-law whose favorite food is chips. Just all the time, eating chips,” she said.
“And he seems to think it’s funny to eat chips around me now, because it’s an ongoing joke to see what happens and see what I do.”
Noting that reactions to trigger sounds can be extreme for people who have misophonia, Jones said her brother-in-law’s behavior is “really unkind to my issue and also very dangerous for him.”
Seemingly alluding to her capacity for chip-induced violence and demonstrating her own remarkable restraint, Jones added, “What I didn’t do today was record this video inside a prison because I’ve imagined many ways to do it, too. But I haven’t. I didn’t. Not yet.”
Jones did not specify whether other sounds produce a similar trigger effect for her.
What causes misophonia?
There is no known cause of misophonia, though experts suspect it stems from a combination of factors, including family history or genetics, differences in brain structure and/or other conditions.
Misophonia is more likely to present in people with neurodivergent conditions such as autism spectrum disorder, Tourette’s and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and among those with mental health conditions like depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and borderline personality disorder (BPD).
Misophonia is also more common in people who have obsessive-compulsive traits, but who don’t fully meet the criteria for a formal OCD diagnosis.
Just under 24% of people with these traits also have misophonia.
What is the meaning of ‘misophonia’?
The term “misophonia” combines the Greek words “misos,” meaning dislike or hatred, and “phonia,” meaning speech or sound.
Research estimates that between 5% and 20% of the population suffers from misophonia.
However, it may be more, as it’s been called a “highly underreported phenomenon,” potentially because those with misophonia are often embarrassed or hesitant about discussing it with their healthcare providers.
In addition, many care providers are unfamiliar with the condition.
Research suggests it is more common in women than men and typically appears around age 12.
How is misophonia treated?
There is no cure for misophonia.
While the American Psychiatric Association doesn’t recognize misophonia as an official disorder, the similarities between it and other conditions, such as OCD and PTSD, indicate that those who suffer from the condition can benefit from mental health therapy to identify triggers and develop strategies to avoid impulsive reactions to those triggers.
Additionally, noise-canceling headphones and sound generators that produce white, pink or brown noise can help manage misophonia symptoms.
Celebs with misophonia
In addition to Jones, celebrities who have gone public with their misophonia struggles include Kelly Ripa, 55, who admitted she is triggered by the sound of loud chewing or swallowing and has to leave the room if her husband is eating a peach.
Kelly Osbourne, 41, has suffered from extreme misophonia since she was a child.
“I’ve walked up to people I don’t know and ripped the gum out of their mouth,” Osbourne has said. “It makes my knees buckle and makes me sweat.”
Other celebrities with misophonia include Melissa Gilbert, Melanie Lynskey and Christina Applegate’s daughter, Sadie.