Greyson would love to be able to enjoy a yuletide meal with his family over the festive season, but his condition means he will become enraged over any noises made
A teenager has shared he hopes one day he can get over his rare condition and finally be able to enjoy eating a Christmas dinner with his family.
Grayson Whitaker, from Leeds, has lived with misophonia, a condition that causes an extreme emotional reaction to certain everyday noises and it means the sound of people chewing leaves him enraged and it’s so bad he can’t eat in the same room as them.
It’s a condition he’s had since he was a child, and he has to lock himself in his bedroom to avoid getting into a rage – something that has left his parents Alex, 51, and Dawn, 54, “broken”. However people think he’s making it up just to “get benefits”, but it has caused him a lot of heartache over the years due to isolating himself.
“I have never had Christmas dinner with my family so I don’t have those nice memories,” Grayson explained. “I just lock myself away in my room. That’s always been upsetting for my parents. I think that broke them.”
He said he would love to be able to be downstairs with his family rather than be “stuck” in his room, but says he physically couldn’t because of the sounds. “It’s an overwhelming rage that comes over me and I don’t want to take it out on them.”
According to NHS, Misophonia is an “extreme emotional reaction to certain everyday sounds that most people would find relatively easy to ignore”. The three main sounds that will disturb people with misophonia are eating, nose and throat sounds, and repetitive environmental sounds like keyboard tapping and rustling paper.
While many people will simply find these sounds annoying, those with misophonia describe an intense feeling of disgust, anger, distress, or panic that escalates while the sound is still present. This can happen even when the sound is at a very low volume.
They report physical sensations similar to a flight or fight response, including racing heart, shortness of breath, tension, feeling hot, and sometimes an unwanted groinal response. They often describe a feeling trapped, helpless, and out of control when they can’t get away from these sounds.
The McDonald’s shift manager moved out of the family home as he can’t bear the everyday noises that his parents make, and moved in with partner, Beth, 21, and now has his own room where he can enjoy silence.
Grayson said: “I remember when I was a child having to leave the room if my dad sniffed. The anger was overwhelming. I didn’t know how to speak about my emotions so my parents thought I was being a brat. They didn’t realise there was something actually wrong until I started scratching my legs.
“I have my own space now I live with Beth. She’s really understanding and I appreciate that. Working at McDonald’s is good for me because it’s so loud that the noises that trigger me are drowned out.”
To try and combat his condition, Greyson contacted his GP and has even tried private therapy and hypnotherapy in the hopes of curing his condition. He said: “Nobody knows what misophonia is or how to help. I’ve tried everything. A therapist took me to a gym to box out my anger and that helped for a while. Hypnosis helped for a while and I had a really peaceful few months then one day I was triggered again.”
His condition got so bad he had to drop out of school as he couldn’t handle the sounds from his classmates. He isolated himself for five years in his room where he ate all his meals and learned to enjoy his own company. He further detailed: “In the past, I’ve lashed out at my family for yawning so I try to stay away from people.”
Grayson is sharing his story to help raise some awareness of the condition and added: “My dad tried to explain my condition to someone once and they said I was making it up to get benefits. People don’t really understand which is really difficult. Hopefully one day I’ll be able to suck it up and have Christmas with my family and partner.”
Do you have a story to share? Email [email protected]