Misophonia: When Life's Noises Drive You Mad
Some people experience intense rage or fear when they hear the sound of people chewing, spitting, or throat-clearing. Turns out they may have a rare condition known as misophonia
For 18-year-old high school senior Ellie Rapp of Pittsburg, the sound of her family chewing their dinner can be ... unbearable.
"My heart starts to pound. I go one of two ways. I either start to cry or I just get really intensely angry. It's really intense. I mean, it's as if you're going to die," she says.
Rapp has been experiencing this reaction to certain noises since she was a toddler. She recalls a ride home from preschool when her mother turned on the radio and started singing, which caused Rapp to scream and cry hysterically.
"That's my first memory ever," Rapp says.
Over the years, "everybody was pretty confused but on the inside I felt like I was going insane," she says.
It wasn't until middle school
