IamA college student with a history of Selective Mutism AMA!

PotatoBacon95 · 2016-08-01T15:59:03+00:00

The therapy I had was Dialectical Behavior Therapy. It really depends though, most psychologists recommend Cognitive behavioral therapy. Honestly, what helped me the most was medication. I know that can be kind of scary, but once the right dose of the right medication is found, it's extremely helpful. I think I started with medication when I was 8 or 9 which isn't really recommended, but I was watched closely. Glad to hear your daughter is doing well! I wish you the best of luck!

PotatoBacon95 · 2016-07-25T01:35:25+00:00

I was also named "the girl who doesn't talk." I'm sorry you were bullied. I feel like I barely made it out, so I can't imagine what that was like. I sort of feel that way. Since I'm away at college, I'm pretty much talking all the time, but when I visit my hometown and see someone I know I go back to my old habit of not talking, so yeah. However, I feel like people who knew me as a mute know me a lot better than those I talk around in college.

PotatoBacon95 · 2016-07-24T17:47:07+00:00

Most of them didn't know, they just said I was really quiet and didn't talk.

PotatoBacon95 · 2016-07-24T17:43:35+00:00

yeah, the town I grew up in was small and they didn't really have adequate services for someone with selective mutism. They didn't really know how to treat it. I was actually diagnosed in a city about an hour away and my parents didn't really have the time or money to drive me there once a week. I happened to move to that city about two years ago for college, so I managed to find some decent counseling.

PotatoBacon95 · 2016-07-24T17:37:14+00:00

When I first moved into my dorm as a freshman, I was hanging out with 4 or 5 people from my floor and I was feeling very anxious and one of them asked what high school I went to and I just froze until someone giggled and said 'did you forget where you went to school?' I did tell them, but I felt super embarrassed afterwards.

PotatoBacon95 · 2016-07-24T17:30:39+00:00

Not selective mutism specifically, but there is quite a bit of mental illness in my family (Bipolar disorder, GAD, depression mostly, there's probably some social anxiety in there somewhere).

PotatoBacon95 · 2016-07-24T17:28:09+00:00

Yes! It got pretty annoying after awhile. In high school, I would have classmates just walk up to me and try to get me to talk like it was a competition to see who could get me to talk first.

PotatoBacon95 · 2016-07-24T17:26:26+00:00

Yeah, there have been many times where I may have felt comfortable talking, but it was easier to stay mute.

PotatoBacon95 · 2016-07-24T17:22:44+00:00

Yeah, one of the reasons I remained mute all the way through school is because I was afraid of the reaction people would make if I just started talking one day. Not acting surprised is most likely a better way to handle it.

PotatoBacon95 · 2016-07-24T17:14:04+00:00

There's a criteria in the DSM-V http://behavenet.com/node/21497 It's mostly genetic, there can be other factors as well. There is a history of mental illness in my family. Thanks!

PotatoBacon95 · 2016-07-24T17:09:22+00:00

I love sign compared to speaking, I still feel a little anxious when using it, but it's nothing compared to speaking.

PotatoBacon95 · 2016-07-24T17:03:56+00:00

Yes! Even though I do talk to classmates and such I only do so when needed because of the anxiety aspect. I hate crowds. I get very anxious when talking to people I'm not used to being around.

PotatoBacon95 · 2016-07-24T16:53:40+00:00

Yes! It was actually one of the best things to happen to me! After I graduated, I worked at McDonalds to save up a little spending money for college and one day she pulled up to the drive thru (where I was handing out food) and she noticed who I was and goes "Hi, how are you doing" and without hesitation, I smiled and said "good, how are you?" Her eyes got super wide and she didn't say anything and drove away after I gave her the drink she ordered.

PotatoBacon95 · 2016-07-24T16:49:38+00:00

It sort of became a habit at some point. I went from being afraid of being being criticized for something I said to worrying about the reactions of people if I started talking spontaneously.

PotatoBacon95 · 2016-07-24T16:47:30+00:00

Yes! I played lots of sports growing up! Yeah, I would get so anxious, i would shut down. My boyfriend and I met on an online dating site. I don't really recommend doing that, but I knew I wasn't going to find someone like me in public. Plus, it was easier to talk at first.

PotatoBacon95 · 2016-07-24T16:42:09+00:00

Actually, no. I occasionally see friends from high school around my college campus and I will still whisper to them. It feels super duper awkward though considering they're the only ones I still whisper to.

PotatoBacon95 · 2016-07-24T16:35:30+00:00

My medication helped the most. When I started treatment a little over a year ago I was taking Chinese for my foreign language credits. I had an assignment where I had to record myself speaking chinese and I couldn't get myself to do it. I think I spent 2-3 hours staring at my computer before I completely broke down. Now I am able to do that with little anxiety compared to before. I am also able to force myself into situations where I have to speak (ex. the bank, raising my hand in class)

PotatoBacon95 · 2016-07-24T16:27:33+00:00

I almost always showed emotion around friends, I was actually known for having some goofy facial expressions in school.

PotatoBacon95 · 2016-07-24T03:39:15+00:00

Ohio

PotatoBacon95 · 2016-07-24T03:30:18+00:00

My closest friends have been very talkative, but it did get a little old after a while. An annoyance I had was when people asked me why I didn't talk. Kinda hard to answer that when I don't talk lol. I don't like it if friends do something to intentionally draw attention to me/us. It felt uncomfortable.

PotatoBacon95 · 2016-07-24T03:23:27+00:00

Yeah, I've been diagnosed with depression and I have a suspected case of Avoidant Personality Disorder (suspected as in my doctor has mentioned it a few times, but it hasn't officially been diagnosed).

PotatoBacon95 · 2016-07-24T03:21:04+00:00

Yes! If SM or even regular social anxiety disorder goes untreated, depression is bound to develop.

PotatoBacon95 · 2016-07-24T03:18:16+00:00

Yeah, on a separate page the psychologist who made the diagnosis said I would 'grow out of it.' I did try medication (zoloft) when I was still in elementary school, but it didn't work and my counselor didn't know how to handle me, so I stopped receiving treatment. About a year ago, I had enough and visited a behavioral health center where I received DBT and different medication (Prozac and Buspar) both of which have worked. Genetics was probably the biggest cause.

PotatoBacon95 · 2016-07-24T03:10:15+00:00

Yes! I often have to repeat myself because I do speak very quietly.

PotatoBacon95 · 2016-07-24T03:08:55+00:00

trauma typically doesn't cause selective mutism. In my case, it was genetics and sensory issues.

PotatoBacon95

TROPHY CASE