Poll of the Day > Do you suffer from Selective Mutism?

(+) Yeah! (+)

It's an anxiety disorder in which a person normally capable of speech cannot speak in specific situations or to specific people.

I can pretty much only talk in situations where I feel comfortable and with people I'm comfortable with.

It's not that I'm incapable of speaking in those specific situations and people.
It's just that when I have a choice or when I'm not forced to, I prefer not to.

A consequence to this is that some people might think I'm being a dick to them for not talking them : /

That's not my intent. It's just a stupid mental block that's preventing me from doing it.

God I hate being socially awkward.
---

I guess? If it's a situation where any response will make things worse one way or another, I'll go completely silent. Obviously they'll then press forward to get a response they definitely don't want. They know it's not what they want to hear and I absolutely want to say it but if I verbalise it, we both know they're going to get a lot less happy.

Fortunately they usually are willing to read my body language, take the hint and move on.
---

I'm socially awkward, but not to this extent, ok?

---

People irritate me. I'd rather not deal with them if I didn't have to, but whether it's for the sake of a job or just doing my part to give humanity a little push in a positive direction, I can politely interact and administer assistance when and where it's requested or required.

---

Is this a real thing?

I have a literal on/off switch where I am either yapping away to the point of being annoying or completely unable to think of any words to say.

I won't self diagnose though.

LeetCheet posted...

I can pretty much only talk in situations where I feel comfortable and with people I'm comfortable with.

And then if someone I'm not comfortable with comes in I literally can't talk. I chalk it up to being really weird/having 5 personalities and sort of ignore it. People I know closely know that I will just stop talking and enter silence mode at random. If they don't know I do that they get offended and act like I'm ignoring them. If I try to explain it at that point they don't believe me.

---

I do, but I'm also autistic on top of having anxiety.

It just kinda happens on rare occasions. They're used to it in my house.

Yellow posted...

Is this a real thing?

Yes. Its usually the case where a child will only speak at home and absolutely nowhere else.

I was sort of like that growing up except I would always answer questions asked to me from my teachers or whatever so I guess I seemed normal enough, but my mother would beat the shit out of me if I spoke first without being spoken to so I would never speak up on my own.

---

Just looked it up, and so far what I'm reading, this is totally me.

I'm talkative and normal behaving to my close relatives and friends, but I'm a shy brick when I have to talk extensively to stranger or someone I don't know. Either a hot girl, classmate, deliveryman, etc.

I'm not sure if it's a real disorder, or if I actually suffer from it, but it hits a bit too close.

I feel such like a puss.

---

Blue-Lemon-Z posted...

Just looked it up, and so far what I'm reading, this is totally me.

I'm talkative and normal behaving to my close relatives and friends, but I'm a shy brick when I have to talk extensively to stranger or someone I don't know. Either a hot girl, classmate, deliveryman, etc.

I'm not sure if it's a real disorder, or if I actually suffer from it, but it hits a bit too close.

I feel such like a puss.

While that might qualify for some super broad definition of selective mutism it doesnt really jive with the normal understanding of the disorder. Its usually based more on an environment than a specific type of person so using the example I gave above about a child only talking at home, that child would be completely comfortable talking to pretty much any stranger at home but be so extremely uncomfortable talking to that person outside of the home.

---

Yellow posted...

Is this a real thing?

I have a literal on/off switch where I am either yapping away to the point of being annoying or completely unable to think of any words to say.

I won't self diagnose though.

I just happened to stumble upon it while reading about Aspergers and I could immediately relate to almost everything I read about Selective Mutism.

At work I tend to joke so much until they get annoyed.
At least one has told me to stop but I dunno about the others.

I have an actual diagnosis for Aspergers from a doctor but reading about SM really stuck to me.

Yellow posted...

And then if someone I'm not comfortable with comes in I literally can't talk. I chalk it up to being really weird/having 5 personalities and sort of ignore it. People I know closely know that I will just stop talking and enter silence mode at random. If they don't know I do that they get offended and act like I'm ignoring them. If I try to explain it at that point they don't believe me.

Yeah at home with my brother or when I am with people I know really well, I can talk for hours on end.
And I can very abruptly go completely silent(especially at work) after saying a lot of things.
When I get quiet, it's usually because someone else(usually someone I'm less comfortable speaking with) butts in into the conversation I was currently having with the 1-3 people.

Have people been offended by you when you suddenly go quiet on them?
---

No.

---

LeetCheet posted...

God I hate being socially awkward.

---

Why I read this as selective Muslim

---

LeetCheet posted...

It's an anxiety disorder in which a person normally capable of speech cannot speak in specific situations or to specific people.

Not selective. If I'm told to stand infront of a group of people and do something that's normally when it happens. First time meeting people too I don't say all that much. Once I get to know folk and I'm comfortable around them I come out of my shell more though. I'm more better in one to one situations than groups though.

Blue-Lemon-Z posted...

Either a hot girl

Most the time I have a mental block when "hitting on" gals I find attractive. I don't do it all that much though so meh.

---

Its an important defense mechanism especially when you don't know someone or how they are going to react.

That "nice weather" today can turn into a nice hr reaming the next.