Do you hate certain sounds? Take MailOnline's test to see if you're one of the ... trends now
If you're ever angered by the sound of coughing, repetitive tapping or a rustling crisp packet, you may have misophonia – a strong dislike or hatred of certain sounds.
Scientists say 20 per cent of people suffer from the condition to varying degrees, with less than one per cent of people experiencing the most extreme symptoms.
Some may dismiss misophonia as trivial, but the little-understood condition can lead to anxiety and depression, aggression and even acts of physical violence.
To help you see if you're one of those affected, MailOnline has created an interactive test that asks a short series of questions with multiple choice answers.
The test estimates whether or not you have the condition and, if you do, whether it ranges from 'mild' to 'extreme'.
SCROLL DOWN TO TAKE THE INTERACTIVE TEST
Misophonia, which means literally ‘hatred of sound’, is a condition in which sufferers experience intense and involuntary reactions to certain sounds made by other people
MailOnline's test is based on the Amsterdam Misophonia Scale (A-MISO-S), a tool developed by researchers in the Dutch capital in 2013.
The test consists of just six questions with multiple choice answers that allocate points between zero to four.
At the end of the test, it adds up your points tally to determine whether you have misophonia – and if your symptoms are 'mild', 'moderate', 'severe' or 'extreme'.
Readers should bear in mind, however, that it is not a clinical diagnosis, which is done by professionals through clinical interviews and questionnaires.
Misophonia – which literally means 'hatred of sound' – causes sufferers to experience intense and involuntary reactions to certain sounds made by other people, referred to as 'triggers'.
Trigger sounds can be the sound of someone chewing, breathing or speaking and is usually related to mouth, throat or facial activity.
But other examples are the clicking of a pen, the tapping of a foot, clocks ticking, shoes scuffing the ground and a refrigerator humming.
In extreme cases, misophonia will cause intense anger and provoke the desire to react aggressively, possibly posing a danger to people in the vicinity.
These responses also lead to feelings of guilt in those affected, sometimes leading to anxiety and depression.
Concept image shows the causes of misophonia, which refers to getting annoyed by noises other people make, rather than actions. Note that misokinesia, or a 'hatred of movements', is a different condition
Those with the more severe forms can find themselves unable to tolerate family, work, public or social situations.
