Fear Of Loud Sounds (Sonophobia): Classification, Characteristics, Treatment

Fear of loud sounds is what we will try to develop in this article; for aversion to specific sounds, such as eating or coughing, see Myophonia. For fear of making or receiving phone calls, for example.

Classification and external resources

  • Phonophobia, also called logophobia or sonophobia, is fear or aversion to loud sounds, a specific type of phobia.
  • It can also mean a fear of voices or one’s voice.

Symptoms

  • It is a very rare phobia that is often the symptom of hyperacusis.
  • Sonophobia can refer to a patient’s hypersensitivity to sound and can be part of the diagnosis of a migraine.
  • Occasionally it is called acousticphobia.
  • The term phonophobia proviene del Griego φωνή – phōnē, «sound» y φόβος – Phobos, «fear.»

You could read Fear Of The Unknown: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, Recommendations.

 Characteristics

  • Liginophobics may be afraid of devices that can suddenly make loud sounds, such as computer speakers or fire alarms.
  • When using a device such as a home theater, computer, television, or CD player, you may want to turn the volume down before doing something that makes the speakers sound.
  • So, once the command to produce sound has been given, the user can turn up the speakers’ volume to a comfortable listening level.

Treatment and advice

  • They can avoid parades and carnivals due to loud instruments like drums.
  • Because festive occasions are accompanied by music over 120 decibels, many phobics develop agoraphobia.
  • Other ligirophobics also stay away from any event where fireworks are to be launched.
  • Another example is watching someone blow up a balloon beyond their standard capacity.
  • This is often somewhat unsettling, even disturbing, for a person with logophobia to observe, as they anticipate a loud sound when the balloon pops.
  • When the balloons burst, two types of reactions are heavy breathing and panic attacks.
  • The patient becomes anxious to get away from the loud sound source and may have headaches.
  • It can also be related to, caused by, or confused with “hyperacusis,” extreme sensitivity to loud sounds.
  • Phonophobia also refers to an extreme form of misophonia.

Georgia Tarrant
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Hello, how are you? My name is Georgia Tarrant, and I am a clinical psychologist. In everyday life, professional obligations seem to predominate over our personal life. It's as if work takes up more and more of the time we'd love to devote to our love life, our family, or even a moment of leisure.