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On this page: Overview
Key Takeaways
No. Misophonia has no stand-alone code in DSM-5 or ICD-11, but the NHS names it and an international expert panel agreed a consensus definition in 2022.
18.4 % of a UK-representative sample of 772 adults met the S-Five threshold for a significant burden (Vitoratou et al., PLOS ONE 2023). Only 13.6 % had heard the word.
With a GP, who can refer on to audiology, ENT or a local psychology service depending on what you describe and what your area offers.
Yes. OHSPIC at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust is an NHS specialist psychology service that lists misophonia among the problems it works with. Access is through a referral and an agreed funding route.
As an everyday comfort tool for short, chosen moments, not as part of the NHS route. Questions about earplugs for misophonia have their own guides on this site.
It is recognised in UK research and named by NHS services, including the NHS website and Oxford Health’s OHSPIC service. It has no stand-alone diagnostic code in DSM-5 or ICD-11, and an international expert panel agreed a consensus definition in 2022.
A 2023 study of 772 UK adults (Vitoratou et al., PLOS ONE) found that 18.4 % met the S-Five threshold for a significant misophonia burden. Only 13.6 % of the same sample had heard the term.
Start with your GP. Describe which sounds bother you, how strongly you react and what it stops you doing; your GP may refer you to audiology, ENT or a local psychology service.
Misophonia UK is a UK support group and information website, set up in 2012, with pages for individuals, families and doctors. soQuiet and the Misophonia Institute are US-based nonprofits with free online resources.
Is misophonia recognised in the UK? In research and in parts of the NHS, yes, but it has no stand-alone code in the two diagnostic manuals clinicians use, which is why so many people are unsure where to turn. Misophonia describes a strong emotional reaction, such as anger or disgust, to specific everyday sounds. The most common misophonia trigger sounds are eating noises, nose and throat sounds, and repetitive tapping or clicking.
We are Bollsen, a hearing protection brand trusted by 1,000,000+ people, and our separate guide to earplugs for misophonia covers comfort tools for chosen noisy moments in everyday life. This page does a different job. This article does not describe or recommend any treatment; it explains where recognised UK support sits.
A common first answer to “is there any help for misophonia?” is “have you spoken to your GP?”. That instinct is sound, and the GP is exactly where the NHS route below begins.
Is misophonia recognised as a condition in the UK?
Misophonia is studied by UK universities and named by NHS services, including the national NHS website and a specialist service at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, but it has no stand-alone diagnostic code in DSM-5 or ICD-11, the two manuals used to classify health conditions. Both statements are true at once.
The NHS page on noise sensitivity (hyperacusis) describes misophonia as some sounds triggering “an upsetting emotional response like anger or disgust”. In 2022, an international panel of experts agreed a consensus definition of misophonia through a Delphi study (Swedo et al., Frontiers in Neuroscience), giving researchers and clinicians a shared description to work from.
Why is there no diagnostic code?
A new code enters a diagnostic manual only after a long review of the evidence, and research on misophonia is comparatively recent. A missing code does not mean services turn people away. UK clinicians look at how sounds affect daily life, and the questionnaires used in research measure exactly that.
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The best UK estimate comes from a 2023 study by researchers at King’s College London and the University of Oxford, which found that 18.4 % of a UK-representative sample of 772 adults (142 people) scored above the threshold for a significant misophonia burden on the S-Five questionnaire.
The study, by Vitoratou and colleagues, was published in PLOS ONE in March 2023 (18(3): e0282777). It found no significant difference in prevalence between men and women.
Awareness was far lower. Only 13.6 % of the same sample had heard the word misophonia (Vitoratou et al., 2023), so a GP, teacher or manager may meet the term for the first time when you raise it. A short written description of what happens, and when, makes that first conversation easier.
Who do you speak to first on the NHS?
For most people in the UK, the first NHS contact for misophonia is a GP, who can talk through how sounds affect daily life, check for any hearing problem and, where it fits, refer on to a hearing specialist or a local psychology service. Parents of under-18s can start with our guide to misophonia in teenagers.
The NHS gives the same advice for sound sensitivity in general. See a GP if everyday noises feel too loud or painful, and your GP may refer you to a hearing specialist.
Before the appointment, write down which sounds bother you (chewing, sniffing or keyboard tapping, for example), where they happen, how strong the reaction is and what it stops you doing. Bring that note with you. Oxford Health’s specialist service observes that people often “struggle to get support from family, friends, and health professionals” because misophonia is not well known, so a clear description does a lot of the work.
Where can a GP refer you?
A GP can refer you to audiology or ENT (ear, nose and throat) to check hearing and sound tolerance, or to a local psychology service to look at the emotional side of the reaction. Which route is offered depends on what the GP hears from you and on the services in your area.
Audiology appointments often start by separating misophonia from other kinds of sound sensitivity, because reacting to one specific sound is different from finding all sound too loud. Our guide misophonia vs hyperacusis vs noise sensitivity sets out those differences in detail. For broader sound sensitivity, we cover earplugs for noise sensitivity as a comfort choice for loud places, separate from any NHS assessment or referral.
Services are planned locally, so what is available in Cornwall may differ from Glasgow or Belfast. NHS England, NHS Scotland, NHS Wales and Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland each organise referrals in their own way, and waiting times vary by area.
| Route | Who you see | What they do | How to access |
|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Your registered GP practice | Listens to how sounds affect you, checks hearing concerns, decides on referral | Book a routine appointment |
| Audiology or ENT | NHS hearing services | Hearing tests and sound tolerance checks | Usually a GP referral |
| Local psychology service | NHS psychology or mental health team | Assessment of the emotional reaction and its effect on daily life | GP referral; some areas accept self-referral |
| OHSPIC | Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust specialist psychology service | Lists misophonia among the problems it works with; assesses with standardised questionnaires | Referral plus agreed funding for assessment |
| Misophonia UK | UK support group | Information for individuals, family and friends, and doctors | Online |
| soQuiet and Misophonia Institute | US-based nonprofits | Peer support (soQuiet), education and research (Misophonia Institute) | Online |
What is OHSPIC and how does a referral work?
OHSPIC, the Oxford Health Specialist Psychological Intervention Centre, is an NHS specialist psychology service run by Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust that lists misophonia among the problems it works with and describes it on a dedicated OHSPIC misophonia page.
The service describes misophonia as “an extreme emotional reaction to certain everyday sounds that most people would find relatively easy to ignore”. It names three main sound groups (eating, nose and throat, and repetitive sounds) and notes that the reaction can happen even when a sound is very quiet. Its assessment uses standardised questionnaires on severity and daily impact.
OHSPIC is not a walk-in clinic. Its referrals information sets out how a referral is made and how funding for an assessment is agreed, so the practical first step is still a conversation with your GP.
What happens at a first appointment?
A first appointment about misophonia usually covers your history: which sounds set off a reaction, when it started, how strong the feelings are, how often it happens, and what it gets in the way of at home, at work or in education.
Many services also use standardised questionnaires, such as the S-Five used in the 2023 UK study, to record severity and impact in a consistent way. These are interpreted as part of an assessment with a professional rather than used as a home test, and we describe what each scale measures in misophonia questionnaires explained.
Some adults also have ADHD or autism alongside misophonia, and a clinician may ask about this. We look at how these overlap in misophonia, ADHD and autism in adults.
Which UK and international organisations offer support?
Misophonia UK is a UK support group and information website, set up in 2012, with sections for people affected, for family and friends and for doctors, plus listings of professionals familiar with misophonia.
Two US-based nonprofits also publish free resources online. soQuiet runs peer support and free programmes, while the Misophonia Institute, founded in California in 2015, focuses on education and research. Their material is useful background, but UK readers should follow NHS routes and UK law.
If you are a parent, partner or colleague of someone who reacts strongly to sounds, the family and friends pages on Misophonia UK are a gentle place to start. They explain the reaction without blame on either side.
Does misophonia count under the Equality Act 2010?
Under the Equality Act 2010, disability depends on effect rather than on a named diagnosis: a physical or mental impairment counts if it has a substantial (more than minor or trivial) and long-term (12 months or more) negative effect on normal daily activities.
So misophonia is neither automatically covered nor automatically excluded. Whether it qualifies depends on individual circumstances, and asking an employer, college or school for reasonable adjustments, such as a quieter desk or a short break away from a meal-time trigger, is a request rather than a guarantee.
The Act covers England, Scotland and Wales; Northern Ireland has separate disability law. US guidance on misophonia and disability does not apply here.
What everyday tools can you use while you wait?
While you wait for a GP appointment or a referral, simple everyday tools such as choosing a quieter seat, playing background sound from a fan or radio, agreeing a plan with family for shared meals and using earplugs for short, chosen moments can make daily routines easier to plan.
Everyday tools while you wait include earplugs, and if you are considering them, how to choose earplugs for misophonia covers fit, comfort and protection level, while when to wear earplugs and when to take them out covers timing. A passive earplug makes a room quieter, not silent, so a voice or an alarm close by stays audible.
Keep earplugs for short, chosen moments and take them out afterwards. The NHS advises against wearing earplugs or ear muffs all the time, because this could make you more sensitive to noise. Stop using them if they cause pain or itching.
Evenings at home and shared bedrooms raise their own questions, which we cover in our guide to misophonia and sleep, including how a partner’s breathing fits into a calmer bedtime routine.
Misophonia has no code of its own, but it is named by the NHS, studied by UK universities and listed by an NHS specialist service, so you do not need a label to ask for help. If sounds are affecting your work, relationships or rest, book a GP appointment, bring your notes and ask which local route fits.
If sounds start to feel painful, or you notice any change in your hearing, see a GP promptly.
His connection to hearing protection stems from personal experience with sound sensitivity during live events and work in noisy environments, an issue that made him more aware of the long-term risks of unmanaged noise exposure. Today, as both a communicator and a user of BOLLSEN products, he is passionate about raising awareness around the importance of proactive hearing care.
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