(NEXSTAR) – “Mad Men” and “X-Men: First Class” actress January Jones revealed Thursday that she has a condition known as misophonia, a disorder characterized by sensitivities to certain sounds and the feelings (or other senses) they evoke.
In some cases, people with misophonia can expertise “intense anger, anxiety or disgust” as a reaction to the noises, Cleveland Clinic explains.
Jones, in an Instagram post, said she’s struggled with the disorder her “whole life.”
“And it’s gotten progressively worse over the years,” she added.
Jones didn’t say why, specifically, she was revealing the condition now, but suggested that it was her brother-in-law and penchant for eating potato chips that inspired her post.
“Just all the time, eating chips,” Jones said. “And I have talked to him about this many times, and he seems to think it’s funny to eat chips around me now, because it’s like an ongoing joke to see what happens, to see what I do.
She added that she thinks her brother-in-law’s behavior is “really unkind,” but also “dangerous for him.” The latter remark appeared to reference a previous Instagram video from Thursday in which Jones admitted she doesn’t “have great impulse control anymore, and I feel a lot of rage.”
In that previous post, Jones applauded herself for not giving into her rage, particularly when a motorist had cut her off on the freeway.
In her more recent video, she suggested she held herself back from perhaps attacking her brother-in-law over his chip-munching habit.
“What I didn’t do today was record this video inside a prison, because I — I mean, I’ve imagined many ways to do it, too. But I haven’t. I didn’t … Not yet. Otherwise, he’s a really nice guy. And it’s his birthday today. So happy birthday. I hope you’re eating a f—load of chips.”
Experts have estimated that misophonia affects up to 20% of the population, but only about 6% show “significant” associations to auditory triggers, according to a 2022 study from researchers with the Autonomous University of Barcelona. It’s more common in women, UCLA Health adds, as well as people diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorders, autism or post-traumatic stress disorder.
It also tends to get worse with age, at least according to anecdotal accounts, researchers in the Netherlands observed in a 2018 study.
“Once a trigger stimulus is detected, individuals with misophonia may have difficulty distracting themselves from the stimulus and may experience suffering, distress, and/or impairment in social, occupational, or academic functioning,” the Misophonia Research Fund explains.
The causes of misophonia aren’t totally known, but experts believe it may be caused by trauma or genetics. Harvard Health reported in 2019 that researchers in England had identified a difference in brain activity among study subjects after hearing certain noises, and specifically in parts of the brain “responsible for long-term memories, fear, and other emotions.”
These researchers also found that a person with misophonia generally has more myelin (a substance that coats neurons) around the nerve cells in their ventromedial prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain that helps to manage emotions.
“It’s not known if the extra myelin is a cause or an effect of misophonia and its triggering of other brain areas,” Harvard Health wrote in 2019.
While there is no cure for misophonia (it’s not even officially recognized as a disorder by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), therapy can help patients control or mitigate their reactions, the Cleveland Clinic explains.
Many of those with misophonia, once they identify their triggers, can also find relief by using white noise machines, headphones or earplugs.
“But if your symptoms are severe enough to disrupt your life (either your social or professional activities), you should talk to a healthcare provider,” Cleveland Clinic advises. “They can help you learn more about your condition or find a specialist who can help you.”