Misophonia, a pathological 'hatred of sound'.A proposed theory that explains sensory overload in schizophrenic patients is that abnormalities in alpha-7 and low affinity nicotinic acetylcholine receptors prevent normal transduction pathways between the cortex and hippocampus that facilitate sensory gating. The inability to focus on relevant stimuli and filter out unnecessary and excessive sensory stimuli displayed in schizophrenics is due to physiological sensory gating issues, and the paired click P50 test can be used to determine if an individual has abnormalities in sensory gating and is therefore prone to sensory overload. People with schizophrenia are prone to sensory overload since people with the condition cannot divert their attention from repetitive and unimportant sensory stimuli.Schizophrenia (see also sensory gating).In a situation where a person with OCD is subjected to an environmental stimuli that elicits compulsion, such as getting dirt on their hands, they may feel overwhelmed by sensory stimuli and deal with this sensory overload through mitigating the stress with compulsions such as repetitive hand washing. A common trigger for compulsions in people with OCD is the perception of contamination people with OCD commonly deal with the perception of contamination with repetitive hand washing. It is theorized that people with OCD have compulsions to carry out repetitive actions due to self-doubt and a desire to achieve perfection. It seems that people with OCD are hypersensitive to stimuli that are indicative of negative situations, and this hypersensitivity may contribute to sensory overload. People with OCD display a cognitive inflexibility to changing environments.

The hypersensitivity of people with PTSD to sensory stimuli is supported by an augmented P300 event-related potential response compared to healthy controls which indicates a semi-permanent heightened attention to deviant and salient stimuli. Irregularities in the production of and response to neurotransmitters is one possible etiology for sensory overload in people with PTSD specifically, people with PTSD may display hypersensitivity to stimuli due to chronic homeostatic imbalances in dopamine and norepinephrine. People with PTSD are prone to sensory overload due to a general hypersensitivity to sensory stimuli partially caused by sensory gating issues this is supported by the fact that people with PTSD have impaired P50 gating and an inability to filter redundant auditory stimuli.Abnormalities in later cognitive processing may contribute to hypersensitivity and the sensation of sensory overload in people with ADHD. People with ADHD do not seem to differ in sensory processing in regard to most event-related potentials however, they do display significant differences in event related potential responses involved with late cognitive processing such as P300, CNV, Pe which may indicate that hypersensitivity in ADHD is caused by abnormalities in the expectation of and allocation of attention to sensory stimuli. People with ADHD display hypersensitivity to sensory stimuli from a young age this hypersensitivity often persists into adulthood.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).Sensory overload has been found to be associated with other disorders and conditions such as: Vestibular: such as dizziness or motion sickness.Īs component of other disorders and conditions.Touch: tactile sensations such as being touched by another person or the feel of cloth on skin.Smell and taste: strong aromas or spicy foods.Sight: crowded or cluttered spaces, bright lights, strobing lights, or environments with much movement such as crowds or frequent scene changes on television.Hearing: loud noise, or sound from multiple sources, such as several people talking at once.Sensory overload can result from the overstimulation of any of the senses. Extremely high or extremely low activity levels.Having trouble with social interactions.Over-sensitivity to touch, movement, sights, or sounds.Irritation caused by shoes, socks, tags, or different textures.Constantly changing activities without completing any tasks.

Covering ears to close out sounds or voices.

Complaining about noises that do not affect others.

'Shutting down', or refusing to participate in activities and interact with others.

These symptoms can occur in both children and adults. There are a wide variety of symptoms that have been found to be associated with sensory overload.

3 As component of other disorders and conditions.

Auditory sensory overload