虽然我们大多数人不会对日常生活中的一些声音异常敏感，比如咀嚼声或呼吸声。但对于恐音症患者来说，这些简单的声音就足以让他们怒发冲天。本文介绍什么是 “misophonia（恐音症）”。

词汇：misophonia 恐音症

There are some sounds most of us acknowledge are irritating – the crunching of crisps, the humming of the air conditioning or a screaming baby. These noises, for many people, act as a mere inconvenience that can distract us from the task at hand. However, there are some amongst us who have a much more severe response to these noises. The question we ask today is: has a noise ever made you feel so angry that you could explode with rage? If the answer is yes, you may be suffering from misophonia.

The word ‘misophonia’ literally means ‘a hatred of sound’ and is sometimes called Selective Sound Sensitivity Syndrome. There are some experts who doubt the existence of the condition. However, for those who claim to suffer from it, the experience can be traumatic. Certain sounds trigger intense emotional or psychological responses that may seem over the top compared with a non-sufferer’s complaints.

The sound of a loved one chewing their food could trigger a sufferer’s anxiety levels, or cause them to panic. It may even activate their fight-or-flight reflexes, making them want to flee. In extreme cases, that feeling of panic may result in intense bouts of fury and end up with sufferers going berserk.

Sadly, there’s no known cure. Tinnitus retraining therapy, which helps people tolerate noises, may aid sufferers, while cognitive behavioural therapy and counselling could also help people manage the condition. According to James Cartreine, a clinical psychiatrist, the condition can lead to isolation. Sufferers use coping strategies that include avoiding places with lots of noises, like restaurants, or moving away when they feel like lashing out at someone due to their breathing.

So, the next time you see someone fly into a rage because of a sound that is driving them crazy, it may be due to a difficult condition they are trying to manage, and not just because they loathe a certain sound.

词汇表

irritating 令人厌烦的
crunching 嘎吱地咬嚼声
humming 嗡嗡声
screaming 尖叫的
noise 噪音
rage 暴怒，狂怒
hatred 憎恨
Selective Sound Sensitivity Syndrome 选择性声音敏感综合症
traumatic 造成精神创伤的，痛苦难忘的
trigger 引起
anxiety 焦虑，不安
panic 使…惊慌
fight-or-flight 战斗或逃跑，或战或退
fury 狂怒
berserk 发狂的，暴跳如雷的
lash out 发怒，斥责
drive somebody crazy 使某人发疯、恼怒
loathe 憎恨，厌恶

测验与练习

1.  阅读课文并回答问题。

1. What can annoying noises do to non-sufferers?

2. What does misophonia mean literally?

3. True or false? Sufferers’ reactions are exaggerated.

4. What things can possibly ease the suffering of misophonia?

5. What are some coping strategies?

2.  选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

1. My uncle _______ at me when I told him to stop complaining.

lashed out                rage                             loathe                     berserk

2. That sound really _______ my anxiety.

rages                        berserks                      triggers                   lashes out

3. I got really _______ by what he said.

irritating                    irritated                        irritates                    irritate

4. David went _______ at the restaurant last night because they forgot his order.

rage                          berserk                        panic                       loathe

5. Don’t _______! Everything is going to be alright.

panic                         panicked                     panics                      panicking

答案

1.  阅读课文并回答问题。  

1. What can annoying noises do to non-sufferers?
Annoying noises can cause slight annoyance to non-sufferers and distract them from a task at hand.

2. What does misophonia mean literally?
It means ‘a hatred of sound’.

3. True or false? Sufferers’ reactions are exaggerated.
False. The reactions may seem over the top compared with a non-sufferer's complaints about a noise.

4. What things can possibly ease the suffering of misophonia?
Tinnitus retraining therapy, which helps people tolerate noises, may aid sufferers, while cognitive behavioural therapy and counselling could also aid managing the condition.

5. What are some coping strategies?
Avoiding places with lots of noises like restaurants, or moving away when you feel your anger rising at the sound of someone chewing.

2. 选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

1. My uncle lashed out at me when I told him to stop complaining.

2. That sound really triggers my anxiety.

3. I got really irritated by what he said.

4. David went berserk at the restaurant last night because they forgot his order.               

5. Don’t panic! Everything is going to be alright.