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Jastreboff 2023 criticism of the Swedo definition of Misophonia due to lack of hyperacusis specificity

In their 2023 review, the Jastreboffs criticize the Swedo et al. definition of misophonia for lacking sufficient specificity to distinguish misophonia from hyperacusis (Jastreboff & Jastreboff, 2023). . They argue that much of the existing misophonia literature is confounded by failure to exclude hyperacusis, despite the fact that the emotional and physiological reactions in the two conditions are often similar or nearly identical. This overlap creates a significant risk that findings attributed to misophonia may in fact reflect hyperacusis. The issue is clinically important because treatments effective for hyperacusis do not alleviate misophonia, suggesting distinct underlying mechanisms and underscoring the need for clearer diagnostic separation (Jastreboff & Jastreboff, 2023).