# Sensory Defensiveness - NO! I Can't Just 'Get Over It'! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 2, 2011, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sensory-defensiveness-no-i-cant-just-get-over-it/584061 "2011-06-02T06:36:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![No\_umlaut\_for\_U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea5d25/32.png) [@No\_umlaut\_for\_U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_umlaut_for_U)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sensory-defensiveness-no-i-cant-just-get-over-it/584061/21 "2011-06-04T04:43:28Z")
Back to the mint. Menthol is a big part of mint odor, and is in Metholatum. For me, it seems odd, but I’m not you. Would something like orange oil overpower the mint odor, or would that be just plain icky? ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sensory-defensiveness-no-i-cant-just-get-over-it/584061/22 "2011-06-04T15:12:21Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > (Mint, really?) I’m generally a pretty normal guy, I don’t have issues like those laid out in the OP, but I hate mint. Always have. I don’t have a psychological reason for it, there’s no trauma there, I just don’t like it. It’s weird to me that people just don’t understand how I can not like mint. There isn’t something you don’t like the taste and smell of? ---
**Author:** ![surrounded\_by\_literalists](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8baadc/32.png) [@surrounded\_by\_literalists](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/surrounded_by_literalists)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sensory-defensiveness-no-i-cant-just-get-over-it/584061/23 "2011-06-04T15:55:09Z")
> [@Rushgeekgirl](#): > > Sensory defensiveness is part of my 6 year old daughter’s diagnosis. For a long time they said she had Sensory Processing Disorder but about a month ago the dx was changed to autism spectrum (PDD-NOS). It’s very mild but her most obvious symptoms are much like yours. The first week of the year at school her teacher kept getting on to her for humming under her breath and one day realized she only did it when the A/C was running. She was humming to cover up the sound because it hurt her head. The weekly tornado warning siren test goes off every Wednesday at 3:30 and we know we need to make sure she’s wearing her headphones or we keep the music up loud on the radio. She also doesn’t care to be touched, even with me if I walk up and touch her hair I’ll feel her shiver and flinch. She’s really very affectionate but she likes to initiate the touches. She can’t deal with certain materials. Unfortunately the cute girly things she loves often has that gauzy net-like fabric. We stick with plain loose tee shirts. She hates shoes, but that’s a kid thing, right? But they really seem to annoy her a lot. She also has trouble with ceiling fans and vacuum cleaners, just the sight of them will send her into a panic attack. She’s not real fond of blenders or anything robotic looking either. And she’s terrified of Spongebob; not sure what’s up with that one. > > Very very very very picky about food too. Textures keep her from enjoying most fruit and vegetables. Even mashed potatoes and macaroni, the kid gold standard meal. She can mess up some meat though! She is a girl after my own heart! She is so lucky that you have taken the time to understand what is up and how to help her cope with it. I can’t tell you what its like be a child with all kinds of anxiety over certain sensations, but the adults in your life (bless their hearts) think your just being difficult. I found that the pitch of Spongebob’s voice and his rate of speech can be difficult for me too. Although I do have one favorite episode where Patrick gets a nose and all the bad smells get the better of him. My kids roll on the floor laughing themselves limp at how much that resembles mommy. I have a little friend (she’s about 12 now) who has similar issues. Her parents understand why certain things bother her so much, but have done nothing to help her with real life coping skills. I bought her a little pencil case and put in ear plugs, some adorable sun glasses, strawberry chapstick (on the upper lip or around nostrils is great for icky smells) and a polished rock (worrying it when things get overwhelming helps with coping). She loves it and shows me things shes added to it. > [@justanotherdeaf](#): > > do you have ADHD or autism? I do have ADHD, big time. I have found that my ADHD meds also help. I think its because when I am on the meds, all the extra background ‘noise’ in my head fades, leaving me more brain space to cope with unpleasant sensations. I also have rapid cycling bipolar disorder. Where I am in the cycle has much to do with the intensity of my reactions. > [@elfkin477](#): > > I’m curious too. When I worked with special needs pre-k/k kids, all the kids with sensory defensiveness diagnoses had one or the other too. Whenever I deal with children, its always amazing to me how relieved they feel just to have somebody listen and accept the fact that some sensation is bothering them so much, and giving them permission to cope with it. One little girl in my daughters kindegarten class HATED sitting on the carpet. Every one was frustrated with her antics. Finally I suggested to the teacher that she let her spread her fleece jacket on the floor and let her sit on top of that. She was a model ‘circle time’ student after that. > [@No\_umlaut\_for\_U](#): > > Back to the mint. > Menthol is a big part of mint odor, and is in Metholatum. For me, it seems odd, but I’m not you. Would something like orange oil overpower the mint odor, or would that be just plain icky? This is what is really weird. Menthol/mentholatum does not bother me nearly as much as mint. I still don’t like it much, but its much easier to cope with. I know that they are closely related and I can’t even explain why one is so obnoxious an the other is not. Mint mixed with anything is still mint. I adore chocolate, but I will not go near anything mint/chocolate. Same with other smells/flavors. Even to when mint is but a small part, I still have the same reaction. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sensory-defensiveness-no-i-cant-just-get-over-it/584061/24 "2011-06-06T17:35:51Z")
> [@No\_umlaut\_for\_U](#): > > Back to the mint. > Menthol is a big part of mint odor, and is in Metholatum. For me, it seems odd, but I’m not you. > [@surrounded\_by\_literalists](#): > > This is what is really weird. Menthol/mentholatum does not bother me nearly as much as mint. I still don’t like it much, but its much easier to cope with. I know that they are closely related and I can’t even explain why one is so obnoxious an the other is not. > > Mint mixed with anything is still mint. I adore chocolate, but I will not go near anything mint/chocolate. Same with other smells/flavors. Even to when mint is but a small part, I still have the same reaction. My first thought when I read **No umlaut for U** ’s response was that Mentholatum doesn’t _smell_ like mint. So I had to find out why, and I found that the ingredients for mentholatum are “Camphor 9%, Natural Menthol 1.3%, Fragrance” [[1]](http://www.epinions.com/review/Mentholatum_Ointment_1_Ounces/content_39358336644) Camphor is easily as aromatic as menthol, if not more so. So that’s why mentholatum doesn’t bother you - it should be called camphoratum. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sensory-defensiveness-no-i-cant-just-get-over-it/584061/25 "2011-06-06T18:27:49Z")
My son has a form of anxiety, and a component of that is a rather mild case of this sensory problem. It does seem to be improving with age. I’m not sure if that’s due to maturation of his neural system, the CBT he learned, or some combination. For example, yesterday some shorts we had ordered arrived. They are cut differently than the loose styles he used to wear, and he was having to wear them around the house to get used to the ways they touched his body which were so different from normal. A few years ago he would have just rejected them, I see this as progress. He also gets that b.s. from people “just suck it up and get over it”! Folks are so inconsiderate sometimes. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sensory-defensiveness-no-i-cant-just-get-over-it/584061/26 "2011-06-06T18:33:38Z")
Dear **surrounded by literalists** , Dude. Chill. _Sincerely,_ **Roderick Usher** ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sensory-defensiveness-no-i-cant-just-get-over-it/584061/27 "2011-06-06T19:11:07Z")
> [@surrounded\_by\_literalists](#): > > Mint mixed with anything is still mint. So Mojitos are right out then huh? Now that is just a damn shame. I’ll never forget the time I was carrying my nephew around outside but then needed to set him down on the grass in his bare feet. Holy cow. I don’t know who was more upset, him or me from his reaction. Not much later he was diagnosed with Asbergers. Anywhich, you’ve told us the things you just can’t abide but I was wondering if there are other things that annoy the crap out of you but that you can successfully push into the background? ---
**Author:** ![HappySerene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/9fc29f/32.png) [@HappySerene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HappySerene)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sensory-defensiveness-no-i-cant-just-get-over-it/584061/28 "2012-02-28T23:33:41Z")
Have you ever been tested for sensory processing disorders? Autism? Sometimes, putting a name on what you feel (at least for me) makes a person not feel alone, and makes it easier to handle. Good Luck! ---
**Author:** ![HappySerene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/9fc29f/32.png) [@HappySerene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HappySerene)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sensory-defensiveness-no-i-cant-just-get-over-it/584061/29 "2012-02-28T23:36:56Z")
Are you Empathic? Are you intune with people? How does THAT part figure in with your sensory overload? ---
**Author:** ![HappySerene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/9fc29f/32.png) [@HappySerene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HappySerene)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sensory-defensiveness-no-i-cant-just-get-over-it/584061/30 "2012-02-28T23:58:51Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Dear **surrounded by literalists** , > > Dude. Chill. > > _Sincerely,_ > **Roderick Usher** Dude. Empathy. ---
**Author:** ![Kiwi\_Fruit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kiwi_fruit/32/12_2.png) [@Kiwi\_Fruit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiwi_Fruit)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sensory-defensiveness-no-i-cant-just-get-over-it/584061/31 "2012-02-29T03:21:49Z")
> [@HappySerene](#): > > Dude. Empathy. I’m pretty sure the [Usher reference](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fall_of_the_House_of_Usher#Analysis) is a joke. ---
**Author:** ![willthekittensurvive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@willthekittensurvive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/willthekittensurvive)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sensory-defensiveness-no-i-cant-just-get-over-it/584061/32 "2012-02-29T13:41:38Z")
**surrounded by literalists** are the number of thing you are allergic to constant? have you ever lost one? or gained a new one? ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sensory-defensiveness-no-i-cant-just-get-over-it/584061/33 "2012-02-29T13:48:44Z")
> [@surrounded\_by\_literalists](#): > > …Everybody has a ‘thing’ that drives them crazy, … > [@friedo](#): > > Everybody gets annoyed and irritated by certain things, … I’m not so sure about this. I can’t think of one “thing” that I’m _irrationally_ annoyed by. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sensory-defensiveness-no-i-cant-just-get-over-it/584061/34 "2012-02-29T14:09:44Z")
> [@surrounded\_by\_literalists](#): > > Some things, however, can’t really be defended against unless I want to lock myself in my house or wear a t-shirt in public with the message, ‘COME TO CLOSE AND I WILL KILL YOU!’; not the textbook way of fitting in with regular society. If you do this, _please_ spell it “TOO”; otherwise I’ll have to come at you with a permanent marker, and we may both end up killing each other. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Righteous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Dr.Righteous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Righteous)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sensory-defensiveness-no-i-cant-just-get-over-it/584061/35 "2012-02-29T15:25:02Z")
I had two thoughts: 1. For those who are extremely adverse to mint: what kind of toothpaste do you use? Maybe the ones for kids that taste like bubblegum? I wonder because I can’t think of a major brand that isn’t mint flavored. 2. I am starting to think food aversions are a subdivision or somewhere on the spectrum of this (or some other similar) disorder. Maybe those “picky eaters” who drive other people crazy might get a little more sympathy and understanding if this is so. Or maybe not - I’m having a hard time thinking of another topic that seems to divide people as much as picky eaters. (if point #2 has been discussed or confirmed elsewhere, sorry, but it’s a new idea for me…) ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_I\_Am](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@Sam\_I\_Am](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_I_Am)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sensory-defensiveness-no-i-cant-just-get-over-it/584061/36 "2012-02-29T15:49:27Z")
I’m with you on these: The tast and smell of mint prolonged loud noises bright white fluorescent lights people standing behind me the constant hum of electrical appliances They are always worse for me before/during/after a migraine, so I assumed they were related to that. And oddly, I am ok with mint sauce on lamb. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_I\_Am](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@Sam\_I\_Am](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_I_Am)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sensory-defensiveness-no-i-cant-just-get-over-it/584061/37 "2012-02-29T15:51:50Z")
> [@Dr.Righteous](#): > > 1. For those who are extremely adverse to mint: what kind of toothpaste do you use? Maybe the ones for kids that taste like bubblegum? I wonder because I can’t think of a major brand that isn’t mint flavored. We can get both cinnamon and orange flavored toothpastes (either Colgate or Crest, I don’t recall) at regular drugstores here. ---
**Author:** ![eosmeetsaurora](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bc79bd/32.png) [@eosmeetsaurora](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eosmeetsaurora)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sensory-defensiveness-no-i-cant-just-get-over-it/584061/38 "2012-05-10T00:15:03Z")
I just can’t believe I have found someone experiencing my problems! What you describe is exactly what I am going through. I am desperate, I can’t go to the movies, to the theater, restaurants… I feel so lonely since doctors don’t know what is wrong with me. Surreal. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sensory-defensiveness-no-i-cant-just-get-over-it/584061/39 "2012-05-10T00:18:46Z")
No, Surreal hasn’t posted in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sensory-defensiveness-no-i-cant-just-get-over-it/584061/40 "2012-05-10T01:53:53Z")
> [@interface2x](#): > > I’m generally a pretty normal guy, I don’t have issues like those laid out in the OP, but I hate mint. Always have. I don’t have a psychological reason for it, there’s no trauma there, I just don’t like it. It’s weird to me that people just don’t understand how I can not like mint. Replace _mint_ with _cilantro_ = me To the OP…my son had some similar issues, but they faded as he grew older. Pretty much gone, now. I don’t know your age (but I see you have a 12-year old), but you can always hope to “grow out of it.” 🙂 I’m not making light of your problems–just trying to offer a glimmer of hope. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sensory-defensiveness-no-i-cant-just-get-over-it/584061.md?page=1)