If you have seen The Big Bang Theory, you surely know Rajesh Koothrappali, an Indian astrophysicist who is so anxious about talking to women and being in their presence that, when they are in front of them, he cannot say a 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, don’t hesitate and keep reading! In this Psychology-Online article, we will talk about the Selective mutism in adults: what it is, symptoms, causes and treatment.
According to the DSM-V, selective mutism is defined by the following criteria:
- Constant failure to speak in social situations specific situations in which there is an expectation to speak, despite doing so in other situations.
- The alteration interferes with educational and/or work achievements or in social communication.
- The duration of the alteration is a minimum of one month.
- Not being able to speak cannot be attributed to lack of knowledge or to comfort with the spoken language necessary in the social situation.
- The disturbance is not better explained by a communication disorder. Furthermore, it does not occur exclusively during the course of a schizophrenia or other psychotic disorder.
Main symptoms that manifest In cases of selective mutism in adults they are the following:
- They do not initiate dialogue or respond reciprocally when talking to other people.
- Lack of speech in social interactions with children and adults.
- They speak at home in the presence of their closest relatives, but they do not speak in front of other relatives such as grandparents or cousins.
- Elevated.
- Poor academic or work performance.
- Lack of expression that interferes with social communication.
- Use of non-verbal means to communicate.
- Intense desire to participate in activities when it is not necessary to talk.
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- Fear of social humiliation.
- Isolation.
- Social withdrawal.
- Compulsive traits.
- Negativism.
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Due to the significant overlap between mutism and social anxiety disorder, it is believed that there may be genetic factors shared between both effects. In addition, certain influential temperamental and environmental risk factors have been determined as causes of selective mutism in adults. We see them below:
- Negative affectivity (neuroticism).
- Behavioral inhibition.
- Family history of shyness.
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- Social anxiety.
- Social inhibition by parents, as they can serve as a model for the development of social reticence and selective mutism.
- Controlling or protective parents. Discover the.
Treatment for selective mutism involves training in techniques to cope with anxiety-inducing 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 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 the phases of this training are and its characteristics.
1. Discrimination and detection of the anxiety response
In the first phase of the treatment of selective mutism in adults, it is essential identify the specific symptoms of each patient to approach it from this perspective, taking into account the specific signs and symptoms it shows.
Furthermore, it is also necessary to carry out 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 be mentioned 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 how to use the associated social stimulus that causes 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 be given simultaneously.
3. Training in imagination of scenes that generate anxiety and relaxation
In the third and final phase of the treatment of selective mutism in adults, the user is trained in the following way:
- You should visualize relaxation scenes.
- Imagine the scenes that cause silence and generate anxiety reactions.
- Once you are immersed in that 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 that the patient practices at home what is done in the sessions with the aim of internalizing what has been learned and accelerating the healing process.
This article is merely informative, at 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.