This man has not talked to his family for years because he cannot bear to hear them chewing their food!
How annoying can it be to be at the table, super hungry and ready to enjoy a nice dinner, and find yourself with someone chewing loudly on pork chops with their mouth open?
It is really rude to eat noisily and for most people seeing someone doing this is very unpleasant. However, the situation seems to have gotten out of hand with Derrol Murphy, an American man from San Diego, who suffers from misophonia, a rare pathology that falls within the realm of mental illness.
Individuals with misophonia are usually very annoyed and sometimes enraged, by constant exposure to sounds considered ordinary by other people, such as those generated by people cutting their nails, brushing their teeth or eating - as in the case of Derrol.
via The Sun
The forty-one-year-old native of San Diego has always lived with this annoying pathology for as long as he can remember: "I always thought that I was simply crazy!".
This very troublesome mental disorder has forced Derrol to stop talking to his family for years, due to the simple and common "noises" they generated that, unfortunately, the man has never been able to tolerate without them triggering an angry reaction.
What noises? Well, such as the sounds of people chewing their food, clicking their pens or clearing their throat before speaking. These are little noises that make Derrol completely lose his head (and anyone else who suffers from this mental disorder).
As Derrol himself confirms, it can really be a serious problem when it comes to living with the people you love - who you think as family members, should try to understand you and your disorder more but instead do not respond constructively, more out of ignorance than malice.
Moreover, Derrol suffered (and still suffers) for so many years with this disorder without ever having heard of it! It is a mental disorder that has even forced him to suddenly leave restaurants during dates. He says, "I just can't stand the sound of those who chew too loudly, it's stronger than me. I'm not an aggressive person, and it's only in these cases that I get really angry."
Even the noise of plastic bags is something absolutely unbearable for Derrol, who admits that he has not gone to the movies for at least 10 years, because of the sounds of people opening and discarding the plastic and cellophane wrappings of snacks or popcorn in the movie theater!
Obviously, his condition is a serious problem that has undermined his personal relationships for years and can only be accepted and managed through sincere understanding. His new partner Kurt seems to be the right person.
"During our first date, Kurt started chewing very loudly, with his mouth open. I knew then that our relationship could never work - so I had to tell him immediately." But, Kurt, was immediately very supportive, helping Derrol deal with this difficult condition thanks to two fundamental ingredients: love and understanding.
The fact is that Derrol discovered what misophonia was only at age 30 and he still has to wear earplugs for 4 to 5 hours a day, so as not to hear all the most annoying noises that people make around him.
Since then he has started talking about it and hopes his story will shed light on this unfortunate condition and help others to manage it better.
