I have spent most of the week-end reading about stuttering and stammering a it is seemingly in some way related to social anxiety. To me it would seem perfectly obvious that anyone with a (severe) speech impediment would be extremely prone to avoid embarrassement, social situations etc. Inititally this could seem to be a clear cause and effect situation. But then I thought back when my social phobia was at its worst and remembered that, although I did not stutter, I had a severe fear that I would do so in a social situation.
What I find of particular interest now is that some of the drugs used to help those of us suffering from phobic disorders are alse being used today in the treatment of stuttering.
There has been a magnifient amount of research done into the disorder known as stuttering and a great deal of empirical research. Although there is no scientific or medical consensus on the actual causes of stuttering or on a definitive cure, it is interesting to note that this disorder, like phobias, is the subject of exploitation by those who will stop at nothing to earn their living. I am referring to scam websites such as this one which promise the earth for $97.
For those of you looking for a really great website on the topic of stutteirng this one I cam highly recommend.
Yes, this is a real chicken-and-egg scenario. Either stuttering or social anxiety can be the starting point, and lead to the other; once both are in effect, they tend to get worse in a spiral of doom.
ReplyDeleteOn the bright side, stuttering can be evaded through online interaction. That makes social activities online more accessible. Positive online experiences can give people more confidence to try facetime interaction.