Mutism

Mutism - organic or functional lack of ability to speak; loss of speech. The congenital lack of the ability to speak is most often observed in people who are completely deaf from birth (deafmutism). Loss of the ability to speak may also be due to some type of brain damage (see Aphasia). Sometimes the cause of mutism is depression or mental trauma, after which the patient either cannot utter a word at all, or talks only with a select circle of people and only in certain situations. The latter condition is called selective mutism.

The treatment of mutism caused by any psychological reasons currently has various approaches, for example, through behavior modification (especially with the help of incentives): people whom the patient does not want to contact are slowly introduced into situations in which the patient is talking . This method can be used alone or in combination with traditional psychotherapy methods.

1. Mute.
2. Silence (mute).

Mutism is the organic or functional absence of the ability to speak; loss of speech. The congenital lack of the ability to speak is most often observed in people who are completely deaf from birth (deaf-mute). Loss of the ability to speak may also be due to some type of brain damage (see Aphasia).

Sometimes the cause of mutism is depression or mental trauma, after which the patient either cannot utter a word at all, or talks only with a select circle of people and only in certain situations. The latter condition is called selective mutism.

The treatment of mutism due to psychological reasons currently has various approaches, for example, through behavior modification (especially motivation): people whom the patient does not want to approach are slowly introduced into situations in which the patient is talking. This method can be used alone or in combination with traditional psychotherapy methods.

Synonyms: Dumb, mute.

Mutism (Latin mutus - silent; Greek muomai - do not speak) is an organic or functional lack of the ability to communicate through oral speech while maintaining the ability to understand spoken speech. There are the following types of mutism: congenital, acquired, lethal.

Congenital mutism manifests itself already at the birth of a child. Mutism itself is not a disease as such. It is a symptom, and some other disturbance in the ability to speak is the main cause of mutism. Such a disease, as a rule, with other neurological symptoms, is a hearing defect such as deaf-muteness and the absence of speech perceived by ear. The reason for the lack of speech can be traumatic brain injuries, neuroinfections, brain tumors, hereditary diseases of the nervous system, etc. Another common cause is Down's disease. Speech loss may resolve as the damaged area of ​​the brain resolves or may be permanent. According to doctors, permanent loss of speech can significantly damage the overall mental and emotional development of a child. Mutism is one of the side symptoms of mental and somatic diseases and mental disorders. It is possible to identify so-called selective mutism (in English also known as elective mutism or emergent mutism), when a person speaks only with loved ones, and in strictly limited situations, according to psychologist Irena Wilkinson, so that we do not hear their conversations. The patient understands the questions addressed to him, but cannot give an answer to them, and experiences severe mental suffering. With this type of mutism, all conversations with acquaintances and strangers are eliminated. Some experts believe that people suffering from selective muteness have a deep psychological conflict, although they do not yet know the exact reasons for this behavior. It is worth noting that when mental illness is cured, muteness disappears. There are acute and chronic forms of mutism and neuropsychic pathology. Among the mental illnesses that lead to mutism are paranoid psychoses (mainly in women), a special personality constitution - schizoid personality disorder (often found in girls), borderline mental disorders. In addition, mutism can be a consequence of severe psychological trauma. Chronic mutism is accompanied by emotional lability and some isolation of the patient. He is forced to refuse contacts with people or his circle of close friends is limited. For some time, communication is not disrupted, but some time after the patient refrains from communicating or simply ignores the conversation, a negative emotional background develops, followed by emotions of dissatisfaction and alienation. Despite their fears and concerns, Mu-Tists are able to change the way they communicate and expand their social circle. The impact on many people is not entirely limited to one-way communication; it is possible to establish two-way contact. In other words, from time to time it is possible to overcome reflex, and the patient begins to speak, but without hesitation and quick interruption of the dialogue. Although he can resume dialogue, when possible, he is not able to talk incessantly. The only exceptions here are those cases when