ADHD and Sound Sensitivity (2023)

FAQs

Is Misophonia a symptom of ADHD? ›

Misophonia is often an ADHD comorbidity. Individuals with ADHD frequently have a hypersensitivity to environmental stimuli – sights, smells and sounds. When they are unable to filter and inhibit their responses to incoming stimuli, everything becomes a distraction.

Clinicians working with people with ADHD view hypersensitivity, both physical and/or emotional, as a common comorbid condition. “[People with ADHD] often are hypersensitive in one of the sensory domains: sound, touch, or smell,” says Ned Hallowell, M.D., author of Driven to Distraction (#CommissionsEarned).

ADHD may also coexist with an auditory processing disorder. Studies suggest that 50% of children diagnosed with ADHD may also have APD.

Both hypersensitivity and hyposensitivity to loud sounds are common symptoms in ADHD patients. With stimulant medication, individuals with ADHD become more tolerant of loud noise than when they were non-medicated.

Verbal stims that may be common with ADHD are often symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity, as presented by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) : blurting. humming. singing or repetitively quoting from a movie or video.

It is an attribute common in people with ADHD. Symptoms of hypersensitivity include being highly sensitive to physical (via sound, sight, touch, or smell) and or emotional stimuli and the tendency to be easily overwhelmed by too much information.

Differences in emotions in people with ADHD can lead to 'shutdowns', where someone is so overwhelmed with emotions that they space out, may find it hard to speak or move and may struggle to articulate what they are feeling until they can process their emotions.

Trigger: Perfumes, colognes, aftershaves, cigarette smoke, gases, and food can cause individuals to become nauseous, gag, or even throw up. Many people report feeling distracted, “wound up,” overwhelmed, and agitated by scents that others would have difficulty even noticing.

Adderall works by increasing levels of dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine, thus bringing the brain from a state of overstimulation to a normal state of stimulation.

People who have auditory hypersensitivity may also experience auditory sensory overload. This is when the brain becomes overwhelmed by the amount of sound it needs to process. The brain becomes overloaded by the amount of noise and finds it difficult to focus on other things.

Does ADHD cause listening problems? ›

Listening, comprehension and working memory are impaired in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. This means children with ADHD are more likely to blurt-out answers in class, speak out of turn, interrupt, and talk too much.

One term is auditory hypersensitivity. This problem is often identified as a person being overly sensitive to sounds. Some professionals have referred to the oversensitivity to sounds as misophonia. Others [3, 4] have called this phonophobia or fear of sound.

Many people with ADHD can't screen out sensory input. Sometimes this is related to only one sensory realm, such as hearing. In fact, the phenomenon is called hyperacusis (amplified hearing), even when the disruption comes from another of the five senses.

If you hide your adult ADHD symptoms from other people, that's called masking. Basically, you're trying to seem more “normal” or “regular.” ADHD causes some people to act hyperactive or impulsive. It makes other folks have trouble paying attention. And still other adults have a combination of those symptoms.

A very common (also annoying and distressing) element of ADHD is 'time blindness'. Adults with ADHD often have a weaker perception of time and it has been proposed that this symptom is a possible diagnostic characteristic. 'Time blindness' can mean you are always late, or always way too early to avoid being late.

Some of the conditions that are most common among those who describe themselves as neurodivergent include: Autism spectrum disorder (this includes what was once known as Asperger's syndrome). Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Down syndrome.

SENSORY OVERLOAD IS COMMON FOR PEOPLE WITH ADHD OF ALL AGES.

Some of the symptoms of ADHD—such as self-regulation and trouble paying attention to what's going on around you—may themselves induce sensory overload.

As we've discussed, unfortunately, many people with ADHD tend to have a lack of empathy. This can be addressed, though, through identifying and communicating about each other's feelings.

2 People with ADHD can experience distress due to sound when it is overwhelming and causes an inability to focus, often leading to increased distress and anxiety. When a person has both sound sensitivity and ADHD, each condition can be even harder to deal with.

This low sense of motivation can feel similar to fatigue, especially if a person feels unable to keep up with their responsibilities. Additionally, the stress that ADHD may cause can feel exhausting, especially if a person's symptoms are not well controlled.

Can ADHD cause emotionless? ›

People with ADHD may be seen as insensitive, self-absorbed, or disengaged with the world around them. Emotional detachment, or the act of being disconnected or disengaged from the feelings of others, is a symptom of ADHD. However, it can also be caused by Adderall, a medication used to treat ADHD and narcolepsy.

Some people with ADHD have fewer symptoms as they age, but some adults continue to have major symptoms that interfere with daily functioning. In adults, the main features of ADHD may include difficulty paying attention, impulsiveness and restlessness. Symptoms can range from mild to severe.

Obsessing and ruminating are often part of living with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). No matter how hard you try to ignore them, those negative thoughts just keep coming back, replaying themselves in an infinite loop. You know it's not healthy, but you can't seem to stop yourself.

Stimulants are believed to work by increasing dopamine levels in the brain. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter associated with motivation, pleasure, attention, and movement. For many people with ADHD, stimulant medications boost concentration and focus while reducing hyperactive and impulsive behaviors.

“Adderall helps reduce symptoms of ADHD in about 80 percent of my pediatric patients,” Dr. Chatigny says. “Children with ADHD experience what's called a paradoxical reaction to the medication. It calms them and most often improves their ability to focus.”

Hyperacusis is a type of reduced tolerance for sound. People with hyperacusis often find ordinary noises too loud, and loud noises uncomfortable or painful. The most common cause of hyperacusis is damage to the inner ear from ageing or exposure to loud noise.

Check if you have hyperacusis

You may have hyperacusis if some everyday sounds seem much louder than they should. It can sometimes be painful. You may be affected by sounds like: jingling coins.

Is sensory overload ADHD or autism? ›

Sensory processing disorder can make it difficult for people to function if they become overwhelmed by senses including touch or hearing. The condition is known to be closely related to autism, but research shows that sensory overload and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can also go hand in hand.

A study done in 2020 showed that music seemed to improve focus and attentiveness in children diagnosed with ADHD. Music therapy has been effective for people with ADHD because they crave the type of structure that music provides.

Research findings are showing that people with ADHD have problems with communication in ways that can make them present as very egocentric. These issues can have a major impact upon relationships and quality of life.

The results showed that most children had problems in pragmatic language, language comprehension with greater receptive communication deficits and delays, and learning gaps in reading and writing.

Hyperacusis is a disorder in loudness perception. Patients suffering from hyperacusis may appear overly sensitive to a range of sounds, finding many noises unbearable and painfully loud.

Noise cancellation is helpful for some people with ADHD

"Having access to noise-canceling headphones helps people focus by having less external sensory stimulation." That way, you only have to focus on one thing, rather than trying to filter out the noise and focus at the same time, they explain.

Overstimulation is a daily reality for many people with ADHD. We feel too much — physically and emotionally. We struggle with emotional regulation, impulsivity, and big feelings. Many of us also experience sensory sensitivities, reacting strongly to sights, tastes, smell, and more.

Some people with ADHD are very sensitive to touch and the feel of certain fabrics and tactile experiences, ie. the texture of some foods. These people find it difficult to tolerate tags in their clothes, the feel of specific foods in their mouths, scratchy or otherwise uncomfortable fabrics.

Sensory overload happens when the sensory input your body is working hard to process becomes overstimulating and your brain can't process it all fast enough. Sensory overload can occur in people with sensory processing dysfunction, autism, anxiety, and ADHD, among many other diagnoses.

What mental illness is misophonia linked to? ›

low misophonia symptoms were associated with psychiatric disorders including anxiety, mood, eating, and personality disorders.

What Causes Misophonia? Unfortunately, there is no proven cause of misophonia. However, it does tend to show up more in people with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), anxiety disorders, and those that have tinnitus. It usually shows up during puberty, and the initial trigger sound is typically a family member eating.

No, anxiety is an officially recognized mental health condition. Misophonia is a phenomenon that healthcare experts recognize, but it isn't an officially recognized condition. However, there are links between misophonia and anxiety, and people can have both.

Recent reports have also suggested that misophonic symptoms can be found in the context of two of the most common psychiatric comorbidities of Tourette syndrome, in addition to obsessive-compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and schizotypal personality disorder (Ferreira et al., 2013; Neal and Cavanna, ...

Misophonia autism is not an official term but it basically means that an autistic person happens to also have misophonia. People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often also experience sensory processing disorder. Misophonia is a common partner with autism, but they are not mutually exclusive.

Misophonia is a disorder in which certain sounds trigger emotional or physiological responses that some might perceive as unreasonable given the circumstance. Those who have misophonia might describe it as when a sound “drives you crazy.” Their reactions can range from anger and annoyance to panic and the need to flee.

Check if you have hyperacusis

You may have hyperacusis if some everyday sounds seem much louder than they should. It can sometimes be painful. You may be affected by sounds like: jingling coins.

There are no official criteria for diagnosing misophonia in the most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5); however, it has been proposed that misophonia may be most appropriately categorized under “Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders.” In 2013, Schröder and ...

Trauma is known to reduce our distress tolerance and cause greater activation and dysregulation in the autonomic nervous system (ANS). If our emotional regulation and ANS health are compromised by trauma, we are more likely to develop misophonia.

What is misophonia? Repeated noises like chewing, pen tapping, sniffling, or scratching can cause annoyance and frustration for anyone. But for people living with a condition called misophonia, originally known as selective sound sensitivity syndrome, these noises are more than just bothersome.

What is the treatment for sound sensitivity? ›

Treatment: Like tinnitus, misophonia is treated with cognitive-behavioral therapy or counseling. These treatments focus on changing your negative associations with trigger sounds. Using white noise machines or other devices to mask these sounds can help you manage your reactions.

Many people complain that misophonia gets worse, but it's more likely that the issues wax and wane according to what's going on in their lives such as stress, health, or sleep. It is possible that over time, a visual association to the sound develops so that just the sight of what causes the noise creates a response.

Moreover, misophonia can potentially worsen with age if left unaddressed, and give rise to coping strategies (e.g., wearing headphones) that could theoretically worsen sensitivity over time (Palumbo et al., 2018).