Posted by g_g_g_unit on April 15, 2011, at 8:41:52
I was just curious whether anyone here has experienced a sensitivity to noise in accompaniment with their dx.?
I've always had a love-hate relationship with my aural environment. In college, I found walls-of-sound (e.g. a busy cafe) useful for taming my fickle attention span, but conversely more isolated intrusions (e.g. someone talking in the library) would always hijack my focus.
Home was always noisy - I have three younger brothers - and I used to narcotically blast ambient music in my room to shield myself from my surroundings.
Unfortunately, it seems like my sensitivity has grown worse since we relocated to a town-house with poor insulation where every sneeze filters through the floorboards. Prior to that - for the past year - we'd been living in a far more spacious rental. As my condition's 'deteriorated', I've noticed that the sensitivity is no longer restricted to instances when I'm trying to concentrate - lately, any excessive stimulation (TV, people yelling excitedly, etc.) will set my nervous system alight. As loathsome as this is to admit, I had to pin my 10-year old brother against the wall last night because I thought I was going to explode due to his incessant yelling. Every time our dog barks, I want to scream. I pretty much hide out in my room, hyper-vigilant and on the verge of tears.
I mentioned the issue to my psychiatrist today. He questioned me about my historical relationship w/ noise, but never really commented otherwise. I suppose the problem is that sensory issues go hand-in-hand with ADHD, but it's never been this bad before. I keep wanting to know if this is some variation mania or not - just for the sake of closure - but I have a habit of being too controlling and am trying to let go because I'm finally appreciating how hard it is to disentangle various symptoms. I'm filled with this enveloping hatred towards my family and my life situation, and again, it's hard to know whether my mood is fueling my sensitivity or visa versa.
Anyway, what further complicates things is that, due to OCD, I'm beginning to completely avoid noise wherever possible, which is only making the issue worse. My therapist has suggested that I try and expose myself to it and avoid becoming dependent on earplugs/music, but I'm having trouble deciphering what 'normal' behavior would be in this scenario, because it feels like there's a strong biochemical component to my sensitivity - I simply have no control over how I react, which is with intense, crushing frustration followed by helplessness. Has anyone here found desensitization actually helped the issue?
My psychiatrist was torn between prescribing Nardil, give how much better my parents said I seemed on it, and trying something more selective for the OCD. In the end, we decided on Zoloft. I'm scared, however, given it's reputation for triggering dysphoric mania. What are the warning signs I should be looking out for? More rage/irritability/sensitivity to stimuli? Is there a chance it might help these issues?
poster:g_g_g_unit
thread:982899
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20110406/msgs/982899.html