Paper Title
Misophonia and Social Functioning: A Qualitative Study

Abstract
Misophonia, a phenomenon first described in the audiology literature, is characterized by intense emotional reactions (e.g., anger, rage, anxiety, disgust) in response to highly specific sounds, particularly sounds of human origin such as oral or nasal noises made by other people (e.g., chewing, sniffing, slurping, lip smacking). Misophonia is not listed in any of the contemporary psychiatric classification systems. The purpose of this research is to study the effects that misophonia has on social functioning. The clinical and research literature on misophonia was examined and considered in the context of the broader literature on what constitutes a mental disorder. The participants were interviewed, the content was analyzed using thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke) in order to find overarching themes from the experiences of people suffering from misophonia within the Indian context. Significant statements made by interviewees were clustered together to identify themes. The available evidence suggests that (a) there is an impact of misophonia on social functioning on individuals. (b) It also talks about the issues that arise in an individual's social life due to misophonia for example, withdrawing from social situations, strained relationships, partial support by family and friends. Keywords - Misophonia, Social Functioning, Social Withdrawal, Strained Relationships