Selective mutism in adults: what is it, symptoms, causes and treatment

  • Jun 07, 2022
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Selective mutism in adults: what is it, symptoms, causes and treatment

if you have seen The Big Bang Theory, surely you know Rajesh Koothrappali, an Indian astrophysicist who is so anxious to speak with women and being in the presence of them who, when they are in front of them, cannot articulate word. What happens to this endearing fictional character? Well, he suffers from selective mutism, but what exactly is this condition?

Do you want to know what the symptoms, causes and treatment of this problem are? In what situations does this phenomenon usually occur? If you are interested in knowing the answer to these questions, do not hesitate and keep reading! In this Psychology-Online article, we will talk about the Selective mutism in adults: what is it, symptoms, causes and treatment.

Due to significant overlap between mutism and social anxiety disorder, it is believed that there may be genetic factors shared between both affections. In addition, certain influential temperamental and environmental risk factors have been identified as causes of selective mutism in adults. We see them below:

  • Negative affectivity (neuroticism).
  • behavioral inhibition.
  • Family history of shyness.
  • Social isolation.
  • social anxiety
  • Social inhibition on the part of the parents, since they can serve as a model for the development of social reticence and selective mutism.
  • Controlling or protective parents. Discover the consequences of parental overprotection.

Treatment for selective mutism involves training in techniques to deal with anxiety-producing situations and stressful situations. Specifically, training to manage anxiety consists of 3 different phases that are usually carried out, generally, in 5 sessions.

Even so, the sessions can be extended up to 8 or 9 depending on the development of the program, the therapeutic process or the possible difficulties that may arise in its implementation. Let's see what are the phases of this training and its characteristics.

1. Discrimination and anxiety response detection

In the first phase of treatment of selective mutism in adults, it is essential identify the specific symptoms of each patient to approach it from this perspective, attending to the specific signs and symptoms that it shows.

In addition, it is also necessary to perform a psychoeducation session to explain what the technique to be applied will consist of, as well as the variables that intervene in the maintenance of mutism and its causes. It should also mention those factors that are present, but that can no longer be modified because they are predisposing.

2. relaxation training

The second phase of training consists of training the patient in relaxation techniques that he can use in the face of the associated social stimulus that causes him anxiety to the point of not being able to speak. In order to apply them in these situations, these techniques generate a response opposite to the initial one, so that the two responses cannot occur simultaneously.

3. Training in imagination of scenes that generate anxiety and relaxation

In the third and last phase of the treatment of selective mutism in adults, the user is trained in the following way:

  1. You should visualize scenes of relaxation.
  2. Imagine the scenes that cause silence and generate anxiety reactions.
  3. Once you are immersed in this anxious state, you must imagine the previously learned relaxation scenes to eradicate the anxious response that these situations provoke.

During this process, it is important for the patient to practice at home what is being done in the sessions in order to internalize what has been learned and speed up the healing process.

Selective mutism in adults: what is it, symptoms, causes and treatment - Treatment of selective mutism in adults

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to Selective mutism in adults: what is it, symptoms, causes and treatment, we recommend that you enter our category of Clinical psychology.

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Selective mutism in adults: what is it, symptoms, causes and treatment

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