Misophonia matters

A case study of the role of brain imaging in debates over new diagnoses

Datos Bibliográficos

ID2250263
AutoresVictor W Pérez (0000-0002-0430-4234, University of Delaware Newark Delaware USA, autor de correspondencia), A Friedman (0000-0002-2008-7540, University of Delaware Newark Delaware USA)
Año2024
Volumen46
NúmeroS1
Páginas92-109
Fecha de publicación2024-03-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaSociology of Health & Illness (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0141-9889 • E-ISSN: 1467-9566
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/1467-9566.13679
PMID37329250
OpenAlexW4381046850
IdiomaEN
Referencias citadas57

Misophonia has gained attention in scientific circles that utilise brain imaging to validate diagnoses. The condition is promoted as not merely a symptom of other psychiatric diagnoses but as a discrete clinical entity. We illustrate the social construction of the diagnostic category of misophonia through examining prominent claims in research studies that use brain imaging to substantiate the diagnosis. We show that brain images are insufficient to establish the 'brain basis for misophonia' due to both technical and logical limitations of imaging data. Often misunderstood as providing direct access to the matter of the body, brain images are mediated and manipulated numerical data (Joyce, 2005, Social Studies of Science 35(3), p. 437). Interpretations of brain scans are further shaped by social expectations and attributes considered salient to the data. Causal inferences drawn from these studies are problematic because 'misophonics' are clinically pre-diagnosed before participating. We argue that imaging cannot replace the social process of diagnosis in the case of misophonia, nor validate diagnostic measures or otherwise substantiate the condition. More broadly, we highlight both the cultural authority and inherent limitations of brain imaging in the social construction of contested diagnoses while also illustrating its role in the disaggregation of symptoms into new diagnoses

Cognition · Medical diagnosis · Neuroimaging · Pathology · Psychiatric diagnosis · Salient · Artificial Intelligence · Body Image and Dysmorphia Studies · Computer Science · Medicine · Multisensory perception and integration · Neuroscience · Psychology · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment