phonophobia
Sign in to saveAlso known as sonophobia, acousticophobia
Phonophobia, also called ligyrophobia or sonophobia, is a fear of or aversion to specific sounds—a type of specific phobia as well as a form of auditory hypersensitivity. Occasionally it is called acousticophobia. Although some sounds could be feared by most people, such as certain loud sounds or sounds that signal threats, fears of these sounds would not be considered phonophobia unless the amount of fear and anxiety was disproportionate. In phonophobia, the feared sounds may be ones that are soft and non-damaging, such as kitchen sounds or a door closing. Another example is watching someone
Key facts
- Medical condition (new).name
- Phonophobia
- Medical condition (new).synonyms
- Ligyrophobia, sonophobia, acousticophobia, fear hyperacusis
- Medical condition (new).image
- Firecreaker right site bright.jpg
- Medical condition (new).speciality
- Psychiatry, neurology
- Medical condition (new).caption
- A firecracker exploding; sudden loud noises are common triggers.
- Medical condition (new).symptoms
- Anxiety, panic attack, avoidance behavior
- Medical condition (new).diagnosis
- Clinical evaluation
- Medical condition (new).differential
- Hyperacusis, misophonia, migraine
- Medical condition (new).treatment
- Counselling, exposure therapy
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
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- NCI Thesaurus ID
- C122579
via Wikidata · CC0
~6 min read
Article
6 sectionsContents
- Co-occurring conditions and differential diagnosis
- Management
- Terminology and origins of the concept
- See also
- References
- External links
Phonophobia, also called ligyrophobia or sonophobia, is a fear of or aversion to specific sounds—a type of specific phobia as well as a form of auditory hypersensitivity. Occasionally it is called acousticophobia. Although some sounds could be feared by most people, such as certain loud sounds or sounds that signal threats, fears of these sounds would not be considered phonophobia unless the amount of fear and anxiety was disproportionate. In phonophobia, the feared sounds may be ones that are soft and non-damaging, such as kitchen sounds or a door closing. Another example is watching someone blow up a balloon beyond its normal capacity. This is often an unsettling, even disturbing thing for a person with phonophobia to observe, as they anticipate a loud sound when the balloon pops.
Phonophobia generally leads to anxiety around and avoidance of contexts where individuals might be exposed to feared sounds. Such avoidance could risk making the auditory system more sensitive.