Abstract
Selective mutism (SM) is a psychological disease that affects children and is defined by a complete lack of speech in certain social contexts while speech production appears normal in others. Separation anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder (previously known as social phobia), agoraphobia, and panic disorder, as well as shyness and anxiety, can all be associated with selective mutism. SM is a rather uncommon condition. Estimates of its point prevalence have been found in clinic or school samples in a variety of countries, and typically range between 0.03 percent and 1.9 percent depending on the setting. To properly establish the disorder's diagnosis, clinicians can use the SM module of the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for Children and Parents (ADIS-C/P) or the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for Children (Kiddie- or K-SADS). Nonmedication and medication-based therapies are the two basic types of treatment for selective mutism. Psychodynamic therapy, behavioural therapy, and family therapy are among the most common nonmedication-based or psychotherapy treatments. Selective seratonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) (fluoxetine in particular) have been demonstrated to improve mutism and anxiety when used as a treatment option. The study aims to evaluate and treat selective silence and social phobia in children.
Highlights
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) defines selective mutism as “an anxiety disorder, given that the vast majority of children with selective mutism are anxious.” Selective mutism is a condition in which a person is unable to speak aloud in some settings where conversational discourse is expected
There is little agreement that SP and SM are related in terms of clinical presentation, the exact nature of their association is unknown
With the recognition that SM is predominantly a fear and anxiety-driven condition, it's encouraging to note that cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is widely acknowledged as the most practicable strategy for children with this disorder, at least in the scientific literature.In summary, CBT for MS consists of the same components that make up CBT for other anxiety disorders, namely (1) Psychoeducation: definition of MS as an expression of fear and, especially, social fear; (2) physiological training: breathing and muscle relaxation; (3) Behavioral training: emergency management, hierarchical exposure, modeling, modeling and gradual desensitization; (4) cognitive training: positive self-talk and cognitive restructuring; and (5) parenting education: improving parents' ability to help their children and gradually ceasing mutism behaviors [2]
Summary
This work was carried out in collaboration among all authors. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. (1) Dr Jongwha Chang, University of Texas, College of Pharmacy, USA. (1) Fatima Shanawaz, Amity University Haryana, India.
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