EVER HEARD OF EARWORMS? : This Is What Professionals Say

INTRODUCTION

Earworms often called Struck Song syndrome, is a very prevalent condition in the Western population that can be characterized by the recurring tones that open pops up in your head involuntarily. These songs or tunes can be very catchy, pops up suddenly, and can be triggered by intense emotions or hearing a melody. Earworms are often linked with memory where auditory information can serve as a strong mnemonic. On a psychological level, it can be described as a cognitive itch where the brain can itch back, often resulting in recurring loops. The more an individual tries to suppress the tunes, the more it comes back, often called ironic process theory.

SYMPTOMS

The earworms can reach the severity level when they are recurring, distressing, and hampering the quality of life of an individual. This can give rise to compulsive behaviors which can lead to the diagnosis of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) in the majority of the individuals.

When considering the client who reports musical recurring tones in their heads, the common physiology ( the recurring tones which are natural) can differ from the pathology (something dysfunctional) by observing the following symptoms in clients-

1.Negative influence on sleep patterns

2.Negative influence on daily functioning

3.Active Avoidance Behaviors like avoiding things which are source of music like ringtones.

4.Experience of typical OCD symptoms like mysophobia ( fear of dirt and germs).

DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS

1.The differential diagnosis involves the symptoms of palinacousis and  auditory hallucinations in individuals who have musical obsessions.

2.Struck songs can differ from auditory hallucination, where clients often feel that the source of the songs is external. Moreover, palinacousis is a condition where an individual can hear sounds even after the origin of physical noise disappears in the external environment.

When to visit a Therapist?

As soon as people observe that these recurring tones are hampering their life quality, they can take the help of the therapist to get rid of these tones. Earworms are generally pleasant, however, it can become serious in some cases. When this happens, people should delay taking the help of therapists.

TREATMENT

Various clinical therapies help reduce pathological earworms-

1.Exposure and response prevention (ERP)- It is one form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy that can be effective for reducing the usual compulsive behaviors and thoughts of the client who has musical obsessions.

2. Mindfulness Techniques- There are different mindfulness techniques recommended by psychotherapists for reducing the stress and anxiety associated with earworms.

3.Medications- Medications are recommended if patients experience anxiety and common symptoms of OCD that are comorbid with earworm symptoms. In such cases, OCD medications like clomipramine and SSRIs can help reduce the symptoms of earworms.

Self-help Strategies

Self-help includes many strategies such as engagement (engaging in different songs) and involving some kind of distraction such as indulging in sports, listening to a different type of music, or something to eat or chew. Usually, when compared to a person who adopts the passive approach in reducing the symptoms, the individual attempting to actively block the songs can be less efficient.

There are several other methods for self-help that people should try to get rid of earthworms—

1) Engagement in songs -Many individuals also claim that listening to the recurring songs together in one flow will help individuals eliminate the recurring tunes.

2) Distracting to other songs- To stop or get rid of the loop, people should listen to other songs.

 3) People can think about other things and wait for the tune to fade away.

POSITIVE ASPECTS OF EARWORMS

Speech Repetition can be linked with childishness, however, it may become a pleasurable process when we talk about music repetition. Each time we hear music, it can be different and may result in promoting the learning process.

As earworms can be described as spontaneous and natural mental activity, and stages of mind-wandering results in enhancing our creativity and thinking process.

CONCLUSION

Earworms may be a condition that varies from neutral to pleasant, often not extreme, in most cases. In addition, it has some positive aspects, such as being a general part of the creative thinking of our brain. Since it impairs the lives of individuals as it becomes pathological, it can also be linked to OCD.

Earworms, often an unrecognized condition, can significantly impact the functioning and quality of life of individuals. It can be largely accepted as the unique variant of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Clients may indulge in compulsive efforts to avoid the recurring tones, however, it can intensify the distress experienced by clients over time.

Although earworms may be the normal thing but can become pathology when it leads to a negative influence on people’s lives. Thus, it becomes necessary for clients to receive treatment on time. Moreover, some self-help strategies can help reduce the symptoms of earworms.

REFERENCES

Orjuela Rojas, J. M., & Lizarazo Rodríguez, I. L. (2018). The stuck song syndrome: A case of musical obsessions. American Journal of Case Reports, 19, 1329-1333. https://doi.org/10.12659/ajcr.912402

Pillay, S. (2017, September 26). Why you can’t get a song out of your head and what to do about it. Harvard Health Blog. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/why-you-cant-get-a-song-out-of-your-head-and-what-to-do-about-it-2017100412490

Case report: When ‘Earworm’ becomes musical obsession. (2018, November 19). Medical News and Free Online CME | MedPage Today. https://www.medpagetoday.com/casestudies/psychiatry/76423