Dear Auditory list, Does anybody know of a condition where a person complains that sounds are too loud. Does this condition have a name? Is it a physiological condition, with a known cause? Thanks, Jont
Jont: Some people call this "hyperacusis." I believe it arises from several distinct etiologies. Individuals with Williams Syndrome (a neurogenetic developmental disorder that I've done some research on) often complain of this. I've heard that overdoses of aspirin can lead to this as well, and in fact, I know of a woman in her early sixties who suffers from it very extremely: she has to wear earplugs all the time because normal sounds have become deafeningly loud to her, following an accidental overdose of aspirin. Dan Levitin ========================================== Daniel J. Levitin Phone: +1 (514) 398-8263 Assistant Professor FAX: +1 (514) 398-4896 Department of Psychology Associate Member of the Faculty of Music Mailing Address: McGill University Stewart Biology Building 1205 Ave. Dr. Penfield Montreal, PQ H3A 1B1 CANADA email: levitin@psych.mcgill.ca Web site: http://www-ccrma.stanford.edu/~levitin ==========================================