Another Type of [Selective] Mutism?

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Wherever I look Selective Mutism seems very tied to "situations" or "people" as illustrated by this basic Wiki definition:
"Selective mutism (SM) is a psychiatric disorder in which a person who is normally capable of speech is unable to speak in given situations or to specific people. Selective mutism usually co-exists with shyness or social anxiety."

But,
I wondered if there is a variation in which selective mutism is tied to a specific "topic" instead? Or if there is another term for being completely unable to vocalise something related to a specific topic?

For example, the more something matters to me, the less able I am to bring it up in conversation with someone even if I really want to and irrespective of situation or person. But I can say anything via MSN Chat instead if necessary. So in that respect it's very similar to some types of mutism.

In a vaguely connected way there are also certain words I really struggle with because they really scare me or gross me out and if I'm going to use one of these words I almost have to sneak it out really fast before my mouth/throat realises what's happening and stops me.

Well, I can't talk about certain topics, but I can write about them... I don't have a problem with specific words - except racial epithets and the like; I do tend to choke on those, almost physically - but I'm hyperlexic.

I looked up the criteria for selective mutism, and I don't think this kind of selective mutism will ever be recognized because of this criterion:

(emphasis is mine)

I'm a bit disturbed to see "pervasive developmental disorder" (both classical autism and Asperger syndrome is a pervasive developmental disorder, as is my diagnosis, PDD-NOS) implicated as a psychotic disorder, but back on topic. No, technically the situation you are describing wouldn't be diagnosed as selective mutism, because, IMO, it's part of the disability of your autism. Selective mutism is essentially an anxiety disorder, anyway, and I'm not sure if you're experiencing that?

Slightly off topic, but I think selective mutism is a really bad name for that disorder. It makes it sound like the person being affected is refusing to talk of their own free will, and it is their decision rather than they physically can't get the words out.

Has anyone who has selective mutism ever been punished for not speaking? It would surprise me if not actually.

I have wondered the same thing. I do have the issues with topics as opposed to situations. I also lose the ability to speak when people use certain tones in their voice. When I have to ask for something, it is nearly impossible to get the words out. That's a very annoying problem to have when I need to know where the bathroom is.

I can tell you, emimeni, that for me anxiety is the issue.

I strongly agree with you, when I first came across it I thought it must describe something else - I couldn't believe they would name it that. It should be called "context-dependent mutism" or something, not something which implies the sufferer is selecting situations to be mute in!

While I haven't ever been directly punished for the act of not speaking, it has happened to me many times in my life indirectly (for example, being unable to speak to defend myself when accused of something has been taken as confirmation of guilt).

I have this problem (probably as part of an ASD) and as well as struggling to communicate in certain situations and with certain people I also have exactly the same problem as the OP. In the case of it being specific to subjects which are important to us, I believe it is related to experiencing so much rejection growing up. That is certainly true in my case. When something is very important to you and you talk to someone about it, but they aren't interested and brush you off or tell you to talk about something else, it feels very much like YOU are being rejected, because the issue is so important to you, and therefore it hurts. If this happens a number of times, the obvious reflex action is to clam up and not talk about the things which matter to you at all, or reveal anything about your inner self to others, for fear of rejection.

To this day no one in my life really knows what I do with most of my time because I do the complete opposite to the AS stereotype and do not communicate about my special interests at all. I hate it when people ask me what I have been doing because I'm just not able to talk about it and I have to try to deflect the question and change the subject.

The thing is, with me, anxiety isn't the only part of the problem--I mean, yeah, it's there. But with some people it's simply easier to talk, and with some it's harder, and it's not in proportion with the anxiety I feel. I had a viral-related anxiety/depressive episode last year. I was still, for example, physically able to order from a restaurant. I couldn't stand crowds of people for a week and a half to two weeks, but it only affected my ability to speak a little bit.

And anxiety is a common experience for people with autism. You could argue it's part of the course of the disability. I'm not denying people with autism have issues with selective mutism, and if your inability to speak is almost entirely due to anxiety, you might have selective mutism.

And yeah. Maybe it should be called "situational mutism" instead.

In school when I wouldn't read out loud I used to have teachers that would say that everyone would have to sit there until I read. I always held out longer than them. They should have realized that pressure like that would just make me more anxious and less able to do it.

My problem is speaking in public. When I did, for example before the class, I lost the ability to speak coherently. Swaying off the subject, stuttering, speaking funny things, nothing like my intention was. All this due to high levels of anxiety. Ridiculing myself in not the best thing anyway. Maybe those with SM feel something similar, they are afraid of being judged and misunderstood, or worse, ignored?

I had, I don't know, the symptoms of akinetic mutism twice, not being able to speak and move at all. But because of a shock. The first time even for hours and it was terrible and I was scared. I had a fight with the person and the person screamed at me I should stop and I would do this on purpouse. After I was able to move again, I wasn't able to talk at all for two weeks.

The second time was much shorter. My old shrink kicked me out, nearly exactly on the aniversary of my trauma and I just sat there, not being able to talk or move for maybe 15 min. or something, he even started to call someone, propably to get help. That was this moment where I jumped up and left in a hurry.

But I also have the classical symptoms of selective mutism since I was little.
But of course in my case it is officially "just" part of autism...!

I definetly have that one. But you can extend this to more, just as described by Raziel.
Total freeze down.

There is some connection to anxiety for me.
I'd be like on drugs and would get a massive tunnel vision

If the last line is addressed to me, I didn't mean to imply that you can't be both autistic and selectively mute.

I have had (still recovering from) selective mutism and not long ago I found it hard to talk about topics I was interested in. It's was anxiety. I got so excited about having finally a chance to talk about something I was interest in my mind was racing to come up with something to say, but I had the regular anxiety of being nervous to share my opinion because of what people would think.

I've had situational selective mutism too. I wouldn't talk at all outside my home.

I'm glad that's long behind me. There are moments when it comes back. It is tied to autism to me. When I meet new people and I've been under a lot of stress or just had a long day.

I was selectively mute for a time as a child; I started to come out of it when I was around 7 years old. I wouldn't talk with anyone outside my immediate family, although I could be very chatty around my parents and my siblings. I honestly couldn't tell you now why I didn't speak, but I do remember that it wasn't something I consciously chose to do. I don't have major social anxiety issues these days, though, and the only time I go mute today is when I'm upset and in "shutdown" mode.

The one thing I wonder about is that selective mutism has a bunch of ancillary characteristics that are similar to ASDs:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_ ... r_symptoms

This makes me wonder whether or not I have AS or whether I still suffer from selective mutism to some degree, and it's part of why, although I have a bunch of AS traits, I'm hesitant to outright self-diagnose.

It was actually called "elective mutism" previously, so the DSM folks changed the name once already to make it sound less voluntary. But I agree with another poster in this thread; "situational mutism" would be a better name.