Mutism in children with mental retardation. Selective mutism

Selective mutism in both children and adults is a separate type of disease called selective mutism. The pathology is accompanied by a lack of speech with normal, full functioning of the speech apparatus.

Let's look at what this disease is like in children. The main manifestation of selective mutism is that the child can only talk to certain people and in certain situations.

This disease occurs both among adult patients and among children. But if an adult has the opportunity to create optimal conditions for himself to communicate with people around him, then the child simply completely refuses to talk with peers. In such cases, it is impossible to do without the help of a specialist.

When answering the question of what a disease such as selective mutism is, doctors emphasize that this is a disease in which the main symptom of the pathological condition is muteness of a psychological nature.

The pathogenesis of selective mutism is based on passive aggression, associated with the fact that the child seeks through his silence to express a protest against factors such as increased guardianship or parental control, social conditions.

In many situations, the causes of the disease are associated with psychological trauma. The child does not have the opportunity to express his dissatisfaction in any other way; he withdraws into himself and does not want to talk with others. The baby feels misunderstood and useless and completely refuses to establish verbal contact.

Hysterical mutism is considered a reversible condition, meaning the muteness is temporary. Most often, pathology develops in early childhood – from 3 to 8 years.

With this disorder, the baby fully, actively talks at home, with close and well-known people, but completely refuses to communicate under other circumstances. Much less common are forms of the disease when children prefer to remain silent and at home.

The help of a qualified specialist will help normalize the child’s psychological state and eliminate speech disorders.

Classification

Among the main speech disorders in children, mutism is quite common. Forms of this disease:

1. Selective mutism - the child fully communicates actively with family and friends, but once in an unfamiliar environment, he completely refuses to speak and withdraws into himself.
2. Akinetic type – associated with pathological changes in the functioning of the nervous system and brain.
3. Selective type - the baby can communicate well only with certain people and under certain circumstances; other times his behavior pattern changes completely and he becomes silent.
4. Phobic type - develops against the background of psychological trauma, severe stress and shock.
5. Apallic mutism is one of the most complex, severe forms of the disease associated with pathological processes in the brain.

Even with correctly selected and timely treatment, a child suffering from apallic mutism rarely fully recovers.

The most common are selective and elective types of pathology. The elective form of the disease is psychogenic in nature and is most often associated with a change in the environment familiar to children.

Causes of selective mutism in children

Selective mutism can have various causes of development associated with psychological shocks or other disorders in the functioning of the body.

Psychological reasons that provoke mutism in children:

• negative attitude towards others or a specific place;
• various depressive states, strong emotional experiences;
• fear of demonstrating a low level of mental development or lack of any skills;
• the baby strives to show a weak character in order to win the loyal attitude of other people;
• unfavorable social situation within the family.

Psychological trauma can be caused to a baby by various stressful situations: separation of parents, death of a loved one or pet, moving to another country or transferring to another school.

For children who were raised at home, stress may be associated with adjusting to kindergarten or another educational institution. Meeting a new team can cause a severe nervous breakdown and provoke the development of speech disorders.

The main physiological causes of selective mutism in childhood:

• bruises and brain injuries;
• inflammatory processes in the brain;
• tumors;
• pathologies of blood circulation in the brain;
• various mental illnesses (schizophrenia, hysteria).

Physiological factors that provoke the development of childhood mutism are most often associated with neurological disorders - the appearance of benign or malignant neoplasms, neuroinfections, injuries and hematomas.

Symptoms of selective mutism

Symptoms of selective mutism developing in children are associated with a lack of speech and a reluctance to engage in verbal contact. The clinical picture of the disease directly depends on its form and severity. The main sign of the pathological process is the refusal to speak under certain circumstances.

But certain moments accompany any form of mutism. These include:

• Maintaining an adequate perception of the surrounding world, clear consciousness.
• Lack of spontaneous speech, as well as the desire for dialogue.
• Reaction to painful stimuli.
• Full motor activity.
• Anxiety that arises in a child during personal contact.

Selective mutism is accompanied by an aggressive reaction to a change in familiar surroundings and meeting new people. The child is silent and withdrawn, he tends to avoid people around him and likes to be alone. At the same time, any speech disorders in a familiar, home environment are completely absent.

This disease is common not only among children, but also among adults. Due to the psychological barrier, patients with speech disorders develop social phobia and other mental illnesses.

Diagnostics

In order to promptly diagnose selective mutism, medical attention is necessary. Differential diagnosis is carried out by several specialists - a speech therapist, a psychotherapist and a neurologist.

The most effective and informative diagnostic measures:

• neurological examination of the patient;
• MRI of the brain;
• electroencephalography;
• study of the general clinical picture.

Often, hysterical mutism is very similar to other psychological disorders - schizophrenia, autism, various states of shock, and neurological pathologies.

Hysterical mutism is characterized by a child having high self-esteem, a desire to constantly be in the center of attention and to manipulate people. At the same time, the baby remains indecisive; he strives for loneliness and fantasy.

Treatment

Selective mutism (and other types of the disease) in children is, in extremely rare cases, treated with medications. In most cases, doctors resort to psychocorrection. A psychotherapist may prescribe pharmacological agents:

1. Antidepressants.
2. Nootropics.
3. Neuroleptics with anti-anxiety effect.
4. Thymoanaleptics.
5. Sedatives.

Treatment of selective mutism in young patients is almost never carried out with the help of tranquilizers, since to date their effect on the child’s body has not been fully studied.

It must be remembered that drug therapy is not the mainstay. Selective mutism is effectively treated using psychological treatment. Psychocorrection includes many elements - play therapy, contact with other children, individual, family and art therapy.

During the treatment process, the doctor teaches the child to speak actively and calmly with others, using a variety of behavioral therapy methods. Parents play an extremely important role in the treatment process. They should pay maximum attention to communication with the child, regularly visit special children's institutions designed for the adaptation of children in society.

Prognosis and possible complications
Mutism in children and the effectiveness of its treatment completely depend on the form and severity of the disease. With timely initiation of therapy, it is possible to achieve complete cure and restoration of speech activity.

In adulthood, the disease can lead to complications such as social phobia, inability to adapt to work and social life, the formation of psychological disorders and an inferiority complex.

Prevention

In order to prevent the development of such a disease as childhood selective mutism, you must follow a few simple rules. Parents should know the basic methods of prevention:

• carefully ensure that stress and nervous shock are present as little as possible in the child’s life;
• when communicating with children, be sure to regularly play in the fresh air, offering various life situations;
• maintain a healthy psychological microclimate in the family;
• daily routine rules and regular walks in the fresh air are required;
• balanced diet.

When the first symptoms of speech disorders appear in a child, you should definitely consult a doctor. Under no circumstances should you try to get rid of the problem yourself. Timely treatment is the key to the full development, health and activity of the baby.

This condition sometimes occurs in children, and in various social situations the elective condition can be significant. Refusal to speak can be observed in children's institutions, while the child is able to speak, he understands spoken language.

Experts call maternal overprotection as a predisposing factor. In addition, some children develop this disorder due to physical or emotional trauma experienced in early childhood.

Selective mutism is not a common mental disorder. Among other mental illnesses, this diagnosis occurs in approximately one percent of patients. Girls suffer from this disorder more often. At the same time, many children have a delay in the onset of speech, and some have problems with articulation. In addition, it has been noted that children suffering from elective disease are more likely to have diseases such as encopresis and enuresis.

At home, such children are characterized by behavioral disorders, their mood often fluctuates, and compulsive traits are detected. Once outside the home, such children become silent and shy.

Symptoms

The main sign is that children talk at home, or when surrounded by loved ones, but once they find themselves in an unfamiliar environment, or at school, they become silent, and it is almost impossible to get them out of this state. As a result, poor performance in classes occurs, or classmates begin to mock such students, which further aggravates the problem.

Some children suffering from selective mutism use only interjections to communicate outside the home, constantly answering “yeah,” etc., while many are content to communicate using gestures. The diagnosis of electiveness has its own criteria.

This is a level of speech that is close to normal, as well as the presence of a sufficient level of speech understanding. In addition, demonstrable information is needed to confirm that the child is able to speak normally in other situations. The presence of selective mutism is assumed if the condition lasts four weeks or more, and no general developmental disorder is noted. It is important to consider that the disorder is not expressed by a lack of language knowledge and poor vocabulary in a situation that implies that the child is not able to speak.

If children are very shy, then they do not talk in a situation that is unfamiliar to them. However, there is a quick recovery once the embarrassment passes. In addition, children begin to feel embarrassed if they find themselves in a situation where others speak a language they do not understand; children do not want to switch to another language. The doctor will confirm the diagnosis if the child has mastered a new language, but continues to use his native language.

Causes

It is known that in most cases, selective mutism is characterized by a psychogenic origin, and is associated with the child’s attitude to a certain situation. It is expressed in a regressive reaction that occurs to separation from loved ones, a feeling of inadequacy, and resentment. Most often, this manifests itself in the form of passive protest if you had to part with your family.

In such deviation, there is a hysterical mechanism that allows the child to develop the “imaginary death” reaction. In addition, selective mutism often manifests itself as an obsessive fear revealing intellectual or speech impairment.

Signs of selective muteness can be noticed early, in preschool age. But during this period, loved ones do not regard them as a pathological phenomenon. The child spends a significant part of the time in the family, and if he is silent with strangers, then the parents explain this behavior as excessive shyness.

When school begins, the situation becomes more complicated, since in many situations such behavior is the cause of maladjustment. With elective, there are tendencies of a long course. This condition lasts for months, in some cases it lasts for years.

Selective mutism rarely goes away on its own. As a rule, if targeted treatment is not carried out, then painful manifestations can last throughout the entire period of schooling. The child is haunted by fear of interpersonal contacts, and social phobia develops. If there is a change in the social situation, the signs may disappear and become weaker. Basically, this requires a favorable psychological climate in an educational institution or at work.

Medical practice shows that the follow-up of people susceptible to this syndrome is characterized by difficulties in social adaptation, and the reason for this is the difficulty of social adaptation due to their own insecurity.

If selective mutism lasts for more than one year, psychogenic secondary reactions to the condition may become a reaction to them. Therefore, over the years, a pathological formation of personality occurs, and mainly this is a pseudoschizoid and inhibited type.

It is very important not to confuse selective mutism with a disease such as early childhood autism, as well as early childhood autism with the presence of regressive-catatonic disorders. In addition, this disease should be identified with schizophrenia, which has a later onset; this is the prepubertal and adolescent period, when the disease has delusional symptoms, psychotic-level depressive states, hysterical and reactive mutism, and organic brain diseases occur.

Selective mutism is a rather unpleasant disease in which the child develops muteness at a certain point. The child refuses to talk in front of other people, although he has no problems with the speech apparatus. In other conditions, children understand speech normally and speak calmly. One of the manifestations of mutism is considered to be a child’s refusal to communicate during adaptation to kindergarten or school. The main cause is emotional distress. How dangerous is the disease? How to help a child?

Description

This type of mutism is most typical for preschool children, as well as primary schoolchildren. Rarely can affect adults.

If a schoolchild develops normally, it is completely gone by the age of 10, because the child understands that without communication it is impossible to adapt to society. The student realizes that teachers and peers will not indulge him, unlike his parents. In some situations, a child needs urgent help.

Causes

The disease can develop due to organic and mental illnesses. The following common factors can be identified:

• Head injury.
• Epilepsy.
• Birth injury.
• The child is lagging behind in mental development.
• Prolonged depression.

Selective mutism is often a consequence of disorders in the brain. For example, when a child has problems understanding and forming speech. In the first 3 years, a child uses no more than three words; he does not expand his vocabulary.

Sometimes mutism in a child is a consequence of strong emotional feelings, resentment, or a serious conflict situation. A child who experiences psychological trauma often suffers from selective mutism. In this case, organic disorders are not the cause of muteness.

Quite often, this type of disease is diagnosed in children who are very offended, have an increased level of sensitivity, and physical weakness. Sometimes muteness is a certain form of protest, this is how the child expresses his aggression.

Symptoms

With selective mutism, the child refuses to communicate in a specific situation. At the same time, children do not have problems with communication skills. The fact that the child has a serious illness is indicated by strange behavior, a condition that does not go away for about a month.

Personal development

Do not think that selective mutism affects mental abilities. Children with the disease have a high intellectual level. Psychologists believe that the child simply has not yet learned to communicate with people. At the same time, children understand that they cannot do without verbal contact; they will still have to get to know the people around them.

Mutists are often dissatisfied with themselves and the world around them. All this is expressed in demonstrative antics. It is dangerous that a child can get involved with a group of losers and hooligans. Mutists prefer defiant behavior; they enjoy various vices. It is very important to change the behavior of children in a timely manner, otherwise serious problems in their personal lives may arise in the future. A sick child is practically chained to his mother and is highly dependent on her.

The mother begins to take care of the child, so in the future he cannot communicate with the opposite sex. Some kids begin to manipulate the fact that they are special. Parents are manipulated and try to protect their children with all their might. All this negatively affects personal development.

Subsequently, the boy becomes less independent and domineering. Mutist children turn into little tyrants. Girls begin to compete with their mother, and in the future they can engage in promiscuous sex, some get married early. This is how children take revenge for their lack of freedom. You should not wait for the child to change; it is better to consult a doctor immediately. The specialist will restore speech and prevent the development of personal problems.

Treatment methods

The course of therapy depends on the mutism. In this case, you cannot do without the help of a speech therapist, psychiatrist, or psychotherapist. Each of the specialists knows how to treat this pathology.

Drug therapy consists of taking tranquilizers, sedative neuroleptics, and selective inhibitors. Please note that medication is not the main course of treatment.

It is necessary to treat selective mutism using a multimodal approach, in this case different methods and techniques are used. It is especially effective to combine individual, family and behavioral therapy.

Psychologists often use behavioral techniques. In classes with children, specialists practice their speech skills, and the children receive prizes for their successes. Parents, teachers, and classmates are of no small importance. Classes begin with the child getting used to his voice. How is everything going? The specialist first records the speech, then lets the child listen to it, while paying attention to how beautiful the voice sounds. This is how the need for communication and correct pronunciation gradually begins to form. Then they begin to socialize the child more and more, adding new interlocutors.

First, these are people whom the child encounters every day and trusts, then they add strangers. As a rule, these are children of the same age. When a child undergoes a course of therapy, in the future he completely overcomes his own anxiety, he does not have a barrier in communication.

So, you began to notice that your child withdraws into himself in public, stops talking, and behaves strangely. Don't ignore this behavior! Contact a psychotherapist immediately. Remember, it is better to eliminate any violations in childhood; you should not neglect them, otherwise there will be big problems in the future. Take care of your children's health!

Mutism is a psychological and/or neurological mental disorder in which a person does not answer the questions of others with either speech or signs and generally does not make it clear that he is ready to make contact. At the same time, the functional ability to perceive and understand spoken speech is not impaired; the person can read and retain the ability to write.

Symptoms of mutism

The main symptoms of mutism include the absence or cessation of speech while the functions of the speech apparatus and brain structures responsible for understanding and reproducing speech structures are preserved. In addition, the following data is collected to make a diagnosis:

• duration of absence of speech, movements, answers to questions;
• the presence of strong emotional turmoil;
• social isolation in behavior;
• expressing your needs and desires with gestures;
• loss of consciousness;
• head injuries;
• facial asymmetry;
• and speech disorders;
• strabismus and impaired movements of the eyeballs.

One person does not necessarily have all the symptoms; more often it is a combination of a couple of disorders characteristic of a certain type of mutism.

Types and causes of mutism

Variants of mutism differ not only in their manifestation, but also in the cause that caused this disorder. The following types of mutism are distinguished:

• Psychogenic – occurs as a result of a traumatic situation or in specific social conditions that cause a child to feel fear or severe anxiety.
• Catatonic – characteristic of catatonic syndrome, represents an unmotivated refusal to communicate (in schizophrenia spectrum disorders).
• Hysterical - a person’s subconscious desire to attract the attention of others, using the loss of speech (with dissociations).
• Akinetic - occurs due to violations of the integrity of brain structures, organic, traumatic or infectious lesions of the brain, tumors, etc.

Special mention should be made selective mutism when a person is able to communicate with a certain circle of people. This disorder is most common in adults. It occurs in children from the age of three years, when speech is considered formed.

Mutism in children

Childhood mutism is initially divided into situational, permanent and total. Typically, the provoking factor for the occurrence of this disorder in childhood is traumatic psychogenic influence and the general psychological climate in the family. Selective childhood mutism occurs between the ages of three and is often first diagnosed at the beginning of school. There are cases when it goes away on its own by the age of ten, but if it is not corrected, the child will develop secondary speech and psycho-emotional disorders: social phobia, low self-esteem, anxiety and other neurotic disorders. Children with mutism, which has not been corrected, have pronounced schizoid and inhibited features, and have difficulties in intellectual development and verbal and logical thinking.

There are no physiological disturbances, so mutism can be perceived as a passive form of protest against new social norms or changes in social conditions.

Psychogenic mutism, which occurs in children as a result of psychological trauma, has a different specificity. This state arises due to the unpreparedness of the psyche to transform the acquired life experience and establish contact with others in the current situation. War events, psychological violence in the family, sexual violence, presence at the death of loved ones, etc. – all this violates the stability of the psyche. This form of mutism is accompanied by an increased level of anxiety, depression, impressionability, and infantilism. There may be disturbances in appetite and sleep, lethargy, and frequent moods of protest.

In the most common forms of childhood mutism, there are no physiological disturbances, so the condition is corrected exclusively by psychotherapeutic methods.

Treatment and correction of mutism

To correct mutism, an integrated approach is used, which involves the coordinated work of several specialists:

• First of all, it is recommended to contact a neuropsychiatrist or child psychotherapist, who will make an accurate diagnosis and, if necessary, prescribe medication.
• Neurologist - prescribes medications and physical procedures that correct the functioning of the brain, and also conducts periodic diagnostics of changes in condition.
• – conducts main psychotherapeutic work, where communication itself is a stimulating and supportive method for speech and writing, provides advice on changing the situation in the family. Children are greatly helped by the method used by psychologists.
• – conducts classes on the development of the articulatory apparatus in order to prevent or correct speech disorders that arise as a result of long silence.
• Hardware can also be used to reduce anxiety levels. It prevents logophobia and logoneurosis as common consequences of mutism.

All actions of specialists must be agreed upon for each specific case. Only one recommendation remains the same - start correction as early as possible.

Speech mutism is the most severe psychomotor deviation observed in neurology and psychiatry. It is characterized by a complete loss of vocalization and articulation, that is, the occurrence of complete silence. At the same time, understanding the speech of other people and phonemic hearing are not impaired.

Types and description of pathology

The disease is rare in childhood and is often confused with schizophrenia, mental retardation and other disorders. Often, mutism in a child is attributed to his banal laziness and stubbornness before learning to speak.

The causes of childhood mutism are directly related to mental disorders in the child, misunderstanding or overprotection on the part of parents, a kind of protest that gives rise to an inferiority complex.

All types of pathology are classified as endogenous-psychotic, psychogenic and psychopathic. Types of mutism vary according to the course of the disease and its occurrence.

Selective mutism

This type of disorder preserves the patient’s ability to perceive information and speak. Characterized by a persistent refusal to speak in certain situations.

May be associated with psychological factors, depression, affective disorders; selective mutism in children - with loneliness or, on the contrary, overprotection on the part of parents. In some cases, selective mutism is a consequence of emotional or physical trauma.

Akinetic mutism

Characterized by systemic inhibition of speech and motor activity. The patient is awake, there are no signs of fatigue or drowsiness.

However, requests are fulfilled with great delay, and there is a lack of expressive speech and motor activity.

In medical practice, this syndrome is called “waking coma.” Typically, the condition lasts from several weeks to several months, and upon recovery from it, the patient experiences amnesia of impressions that existed throughout the manifestation of the disorder.

Selective mutism

It often manifests itself in childhood and is characterized by a persistent refusal to speak with strangers or in their presence. All functions of the speech apparatus are preserved.

The patient is capable of analyzing what is said, normally hears and understands other people’s speech, but cannot cope with his own barrier to continuing the conversation.

Selective mutism

It is similar in characteristics to selective mutism, but can persist in adults, especially if adequate treatment measures were not taken in childhood. Selective mutism is directly related to social phobia in children and adults.

Such people retain the ability to understand speech and speak, but cannot speak for themselves under certain circumstances.

Hysterical mutism

Characterized by acute paresis of verbal function. Has certain similarities with the sudden onset of the transient phase of motor aphasia. The patient retains motivation for dialogue, but his verbal ability loses its properties.

The patient has the ability to write, gesture, and communicate using active facial expressions; he can even make inarticulate mooing sounds with intonation coloring, open his mouth slightly and move his lips. Conversation in a whisper becomes impossible, despite the preservation of articulatory functions.

Severe headaches can be caused by toxic encephalopathy of the brain. The widespread use of toxic chemicals brings this disease to the forefront, especially for workers who are employed in the chemical industries.

Syndromes of mutism

Mutism syndromes arise due to local damage to the dominant parts of the brain by traumatic, tumor and inflammatory processes. The patient lies motionless, his pupils retain motor activity, vision fixation is not impaired.

At the same time, the patient has no contact with others and does not have the opportunity to talk to them. The response to painful and sound stimuli is temporary activation of physical activity.

Apallic syndrome

Differs from akinetic in severity. In general, doctors classify this case as a vegetative state and equate it to a coma. The patient completely lacks any reflexes, reactions, or signs of vital activity.

Only the sleep and wakefulness patterns are preserved. Most often, this process is irreversible.

Akinetic mutism syndrome

It is characterized by the almost complete elimination of the patient’s mental activity and surrounding perception. The patient lies motionless in bed, his motor and speech functions are grossly impaired and are almost completely absent.

Urinary and fecal incontinence may occur. All symptoms appear while awake. The cyclicity of sleep is preserved. The patient readily accepts food from a spoon and may show signs of anxiety, restlessness, and dissatisfaction.

Reasons for the development of mutism

The provoking factors of mutism are different and diverse.

The disorder can be caused either by nervous shocks and hysterical neuroses, or by the presence of a tumor in certain areas of the brain.

It can also be triggered by simple fatigue and severe fear.

The most common causes of the disease are the following factors:

• Complex mental disorders;
• Benign and malignant neoplasms localized in the frontal lobes or the upper zone of the brain stem;
• Transient dysfunctions of cerebral circulation (hemorrhages and hematomas);
• Inflammatory processes in the brain (abscesses);
• Heavy ;
• Affective disorders;
• The period of recovery from coma;
• Hysteria;
• Schizophrenia;
• Psycho-emotional shocks (post-traumatic syndrome, an accident, the death of a loved one or his serious illness).

Symptoms

The clinical picture of the disorder may vary according to the type of disorder and its severity. There are no particular differences in the symptoms of the development of pathology in adults or children.

However, the age of the patient and the provoking factors that contributed to the development of mutism are also important.

For all patients, there are some common signs of the disorder:

• Lack of expressive and interactive speech;
• Maintaining the ability to understand and analyze another person’s speech;
• Absolutely sober consciousness (the patient is in a state of wakefulness, is able to fix his gaze, there is an emotional coloring of behavioral acts);
• Preservation of the sleep-wake cycle;
• Physiological reaction to external painful stimuli (intense sweating, increased heart rate);
• Inability to speak in certain circumstances (in cases where mutism is associated with social phobia and psychological factors).

Diagnosis of mutism

Differential diagnosis of mutism is carried out comprehensively and in several stages, until the true causes of the disorder and its type are established in each individual case.

Additional consultation with a psychiatrist and speech therapist may be required.

• Assessment of complaints of the patient or his relatives (study of the event or illness that preceded speech dysfunction, timing of the development of the disorder);
• Assessment of family history for thrombosis, strokes, ischemic attacks, tumor-like neoplasms;
• Traditional neurological examination (assessment of reflex ability, motor activity, measurement of respiratory rhythm and blood pressure);
• Electroencephalography;
• Computed tomography of cerebral vessels;
• heads;
• Consultation with a psychiatrist.

Differential diagnosis of mutism and aphasia:

Therapy and correction techniques

Effective treatment of mutism involves the use of medications and mandatory psychological assistance. In some cases, complex therapy is selected.

Drug treatment

• Antidepressants (Prozac, Fluoxetine);
• Antipsychotic drugs and neuroleptics (Risperidone, Promazine, Frenolone);
• Benzodiazepines (Alprazolam, Gidazepam, Fluorophenazine);
• Nootropic substances (Oxiracetam, Piracetam, Salbutamine).

Surgery

• Surgical elimination of brain tumors;
• Resection of hematoma;
• Surgical interventions for hemorrhages.

Working with a psychologist

• Corrective conversations;
• Help in overcoming psycho-emotional shocks and stress;
• Therapy for social phobia;
• Conversations with the patient and correction of his facial expressions.

Post-stroke care

• Exercises to restore speech ability;
• Breathing exercises;
• Relaxation therapy;
• Maintenance medications to stimulate blood circulation and cardiac activity;
• Complete hygienic care;
• Nutrition correction.

Physiotherapy

• Acupuncture (acupuncture);
• Hydromassage;
• Acupressure;
• Phototherapy;
• Physiotherapy.

Prognosis and consequences of violation

Depending on the type of deviation and the factors that provoke it, the prognosis can be either favorable or signal the irreversibility of the disorder. Thus, timely correction of selective mutism and affective disorders allows adults and children to return to a full life.

The outcome of post-stroke and post-traumatic therapy depends on numerous aspects, and only a specialist can make an adequate prognosis in each individual case.

If you ignore the disorder and do not give its manifestations proper concern, mutism can cause irreparable harm to the patient’s social adaptation and his work activity.

Preventive measures

To prevent the development of the disorder, it is enough to adhere to generally accepted standards for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

It is very important to surround the sick person with care and care; it is necessary to protect him from shocks and stress.

Patients who have suffered a stroke, tumor resection or transient ischemic attack are required to receive maintenance therapy.

Preventing the disease involves following the following rules:

• Timely treatment of inflammatory and infectious diseases;
• Limiting or eliminating bad habits (refusing to take alcohol, psychoactive substances, smoking);
• Correction of daily routine and diet;
• Constant monitoring of blood pressure levels;
• Contacting specialists for ailments and health problems;
• Normalization of physical activity;
• Performing physical therapy exercises;
• Walks in the open air.

It is important to understand that with mutism it is necessary to carry out an adequate diagnosis in a timely manner and begin treatment immediately. If the disorder is associated with past illnesses, special supportive therapy and long-term work with specialists are needed.

If the provoking factor is a mental disorder, it is necessary to take measures for specific adaptation work. By leading a healthy lifestyle and monitoring their health, any person can avoid diseases and disorders that they entail.