Five days mute

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So I have not been speaking for five days, with occasional bits and pieces of sentences quoted from what I'm reading or something I've heard before or occasionally whatever I am thinking gets translated into language, at which point I say it out loud because my brain is not really all that well suited for thinking verbally.

It's like something between my actual thoughts and whatever part of my brain translates thoughts into verbal communication is interrupted with occasional blips. I can still write, obviously, and I can usually continue to read and write when this happens. I can also sing and mimic cat noises.

What I am wondering is: Does anyone know of anything about adults losing speech temporarily? I've been dealing with this more frequently for the past year and a half, but it's been an issue before, but it's never gone on this long. I do not think I am dealing with anything like autistic catatonia (I think it would have been an issue at a much younger age).

I'm not excessively distressed, but I think I need to know more about it. The only thing I've been able to read up on is conversion disorder causing loss of voice.

The most discussion about this I recall anywhere was in SuperTrouper's threads, although she hasn't been around for awhile.

I don't know. But recently I have felt a lot like giving up talking. Sometimes I am mute for certain people or times, and often talking seems very difficult and I will mumble.

I often think it is caused by a stressful situation, or anxiety about a person, place, or something I must do.

Selective mutism? Yeah... Happens.

You have a way to communicate if you really need to, right? I mean, like writing or typing or something?

I am not sure if it's selective mutism or conversion disorder or a shutdown.

I have used writing. Nothing really convenient to type on. I have been able to manage a few 1-2 word verbal answers today, which I think may mean it's letting up a bit. I couldn't have done that at all yesterday (and I tried).

There are times I'd like to give up talking as well. I don't know that people will read things I write instead. I find that when I send e-mails or write things up to communicate more clearly with people I interact with face to face,, they often don't seem to look at them, let alone read them. In some situations I have been told that I have to communicate verbally and can't use written material at all, even though it's obvious that verbal communication is complicated for me.

I have periods like that, where I can't talk - did anything start it, like a meltdown/shutdown, etc.?

A shutdown, more intense than usual, and lasted for about four hours or so. I didn't even realize it was a shutdown until it was over and I found I couldn't talk.

Shutdowns can do that to me, as well. Meltdowns, too.

The first couple of nights I had some other cognitive issues as well - things that are typically easy for me were much more difficult. That's pretty normal for me after the "can't move, can't speak" part of a shutdown is over, though.

What do you mean by cognitive issues? Like everyday things being more difficult, or more specific skills and such (like playing an instrument), or something else?

I was mostly mute for months during my burnout a few years ago. At the time, I had not yet learned to write to eggspress my thoughts, so I had almost no means of communication. The idear of communicating anything was overwhelming to me, and I couldn't begin to do it in speech or writing. I guess that I would classify my problem as a symptom of a long-term shutdown or burnout.

I didn't map out many precise things. I am a moderator on another forum, and I couldn't work out how to write a note to a member whose posts were being moderated. I found it hard to play a video game I've probably put 200 hours into since it came out in the middle of May. As in I kept making mistakes that I wouldn't normally. It took me hours longer to get food than is typical and I couldn't prepare things I am usually able to prepare (as in, from cans or frozen food). Most of it was executive function-type stuff, which is already a big problem for me.



During my burnouts I was generally more isolated than is typical, and found it hard to do more than the minimum required to not starve to death, and focused entirely on my interests. I wasn't mute but I didn't really talk to people. When and where I did, it was all about my interests.

That's how I am a lot of the time - focused mostly on my interests and not talking unless it's about them.

I probably didn't explain it well, because I spend most of my time focused on my interests and talking primarily about them. What happens during a burnout is that I become even more like that, and often stop talking to people entirely.

I do not talk much because not many people outside of Internet like my intrest

That is the story of my life.