Some individuals feel a particular aversion to sounds that, at most, do not cause any discomfort. In medicine, this condition of acoustic hypersensitivity is defined by the term hyperacusis .
People with hyperacusis react and complain about different disorders, depending on the degree of acoustic sensitivity; this means that someone could find annoying sounds that for others - equally affected by hyperacusis - are not at all or only minimally.
The most common reactions of patients to the sounds unbearable to them are: sense of growing anxiety, crying, panic, bad mood, need to cover their ears or to leave the room.
Hyperacusis can affect people of any age, however it seems to be more widespread among children, especially those with Williams syndrome and autism .
Despite numerous studies on the subject, causes and therapy of hyperacusis still have question marks. As for the causes, different theories have been formulated, but none of these has yet been scientifically proven; as far as therapy is concerned, doctors must resort to sound and behavioral therapy for tinnitus, as there are no more specific treatments.
