Misophonia: Phenomenology, comorbidity and demographics in a large sample.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Single-center cross-sectional observational study without a control group.
PubMed 32294104 · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0231390
What was done
An observational study evaluated 779 patients referred for suspected misophonia between January 2013 and May 2017 at an outpatient clinic in the Netherlands. Researchers assessed DSM-IV diagnoses, somatic health (general screening, neurological exam, blood tests, and audiometric hearing tests in a random subgroup of 109), and 17 psychological questionnaires (including SCL-90-R, WHOQoL, CPQ, and NEO-PI-R).
What was found
Misophonia diagnosis was confirmed in 575 of 779 referred subjects (74%). Confirmed cases had a mean age of 34.17 (SD = 12.22) years and were 69% female (399/575). Comorbidities included obsessive-compulsive personality disorder traits (26%, n = 148), mood disorders (10%, n = 58), ADHD (5%, n = 31), autism spectrum conditions (3%, n = 14), tinnitus (2%), and hyperacusis (1%). Audiometry showed unilateral hearing loss in 3% of the tested subgroup (3/109); blood tests and neurological exams were normal. Questionnaires revealed high perfectionism (97% CPQ > 25) and neuroticism (stanine 7 NEO-PI-R). Misophonia severity was negatively associated with quality of life (rs(184) = -0.34, p < 0.001).
Why it matters
This study provides extensive somatic, demographic, and psychiatric characterization in a large cohort of misophonia patients, helping define diagnostic boundaries and comorbidity profiles.
Limits
The study was conducted at a single site using local institutional diagnostic criteria, introducing potential selection and confirmation bias. There was no control group, and objective audiometric testing was only performed on a subset of 109 subjects.
Cited by
- context Phonophobia is more prevalent in individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder or related personality traits.