Online Emotion Regulation for an Adolescent With Misophonia : A Case Study

Zarotti, Nicolo and Tuthill, Amber and Fisher, Paul (2022) Online Emotion Regulation for an Adolescent With Misophonia : A Case Study. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy. ISSN 0889-8391

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Abstract

Misophonia is a novel diagnosis characterised by extreme and uncontrollable autonomic reactions and emotional responses to selective auditory stimuli, which can significantly impair an individual’s daily life. No agreed diagnostic criteria are currently available for misophonia, and any therapeutic guidance is yet to be formalised. In this case study, a tailored psychological intervention based on the cognitive model and developed around emotion regulation principles and techniques was adopted to treat misophonia in a 16-year-old female from the United Kingdom. The treatment lasted for 15 weeks and was delivered online due to the ongoing COVID-19 social distancing regulations. The results showed that the intervention was feasible and acceptable, and effective at reducing levels of misophonic symptoms from severe to moderate/mild while also improving emotion dysregulation and overall anxiety and depression. Particular improvements were observed for specific skills such as acceptance and awareness of emotional responses and increased access to emotion regulation strategies. These findings also translated into a number of reported daily life improvements in the client’s psychological and social well-being. As the current evidence base on misophonia continues to develop, more methodologically rigorous research is warranted to build on the present findings and inform the adoption of further psychotherapeutic approaches to treat this new condition.