Man can't live with family as he is enraged by 'sound of chewing' due to rare disorder
A man has not been in touch with his family for the last four years because the sounds of someone chewing or clearing their throat sends him into an uncontrollable rage.
41-year-old Derrol Murphy suffers from a rare condition known as misophonia which causes certain noises to trigger heightened emotional responses.
Murphy, who is graphic design production manager, explained that the disorder which is also called the selective sound syndrome has resulted in him walking out of dates with noisy eaters.
He also added that the sound of someone clearing their throats is unbearable.
He has also come close to attacking his colleagues for clicking pens.
Murphy shared, "I thought I was crazy for many years. Little noises would make me just fly into a rage. It’s affected relationships, especially people I’ve been dating and family members because you take it out on the people closest to you because you think they should understand," reported Mirror.
He explained that he is not an aggressive person even though certain noises anger him.
Murphy spoke about how chewing is a big trigger. "One noise can stick out and, if I’m in a restaurant, I hear one person’s voice and then I hear the cutlery, it makes me go crazy," Murphy shared.
He also revealed that his condition has prevented him from setting foot in the cinema for the last decade as the sound of people opening food bags drives him "absolutely crazy".
Despite his condition, Murphy is in a relationship with his co-worker Kurt Vin, 41.
In order to deal with the condition better, the couple have devised a warning signal before Kurt makes certain noises. This gives Murphy the opportunity to avoid listening to the trigger sounds.
"Misophonia contributed to the breakdown of my relationship with my ex, so it’s huge that Kurt is so understanding. Most people say they understand but he just has to look at my face to know when a noise is getting to me," Murphy revealed.
Murphy was able to put a name to his condition at the age of 30 after getting frustrated and googling the condition.
He is now speaking out in the hopes to raise awareness about the condition.