How does stuttering affect social interactions?

[Moonbear]

Glad you brought up that article, zoobyshoe!
Yet again, it seems like the psychiatrists are wrong with their facile, contemptuous "diagnoses" of unusual behaviour/body responses.

For years, psychiatrists had fooled themselves and the public into believing that ulcers had a psychosomatic origin in stress; and then it was shown that abdominal ulcers are simply the result of a bacterial infection.

Keep in mind that he didn't say it was prescribed by a psychiatrist. One problem is that too often, general practitioners/family practitioners, who have very little psychiatry training, are prescribing these drugs while guessing about what they are treating based on a handful of symptoms described by their patients who have diagnosed themselves based on commercials rather than a thorough psychiatric evaluation.

However, if stuttering is one of the symtoms, he should probably be evaluated by a neurologist, not just a psychiatrist. This may not be a social anxiety disorder at all, but just stuttering and self-consciousness directly resulting from the stuttering. Stuttering does seem to worsen when someone is nervous, but it might not be any more nervousness than the average person experiences, just that it's more outwardly apparent.

 

[arildno]

Well, I'm a bit skeptical to the whole theory of stuttering as the result of social anxiety.

I don't have much evidence for that, of course, but speaking for myself (I'm not a stutterer), my voice tends to falter (and peter out) if I get an overwhelming sense of anxiety, whereas the repeating symptoms connected to stuttering can on occasion surface when I am bubbling with excitement.

thus, from personal experience (which is nothing but anecdotal evidence), I don't find stuttering connected to the mental state of anxiety.

 

[Moonbear]

Well, I'm a bit skeptical to the whole theory of stuttering as the result of social anxiety.

I don't have much evidence for that, of course, but speaking for myself (I'm not a stutterer), my voice tends to falter (and peter out) if I get an overwhelming sense of anxiety, whereas the repeating symptoms connected to stuttering can on occasion surface when I am bubbling with excitement.

thus, from personal experience (which is nothing but anecdotal evidence), I don't find stuttering connected to the mental state of anxiety.

No, someone who does not already have a problem with stuttering is not going to start just because they're nervous. They might suddenly have trouble thinking of words or stumble over words, but it wouldn't be stuttering. However, if someone is a stutterer, which is a neurological problem not a psychological one, it can get worse when someone is nervous.

I know someone who has a pretty severe stutter, and noticed that as she gets to know a group of people really well and becomes more comfortable with them (those who are patient with her stutter), her stutter becomes less severe. She may only get stuck on one or two letters. On the other hand, she got up to ask a question at a conference (she's now a post-doc) and she seemed to get stuck on every single consonant sound. It's normal for students or post-docs to feel nervous getting up and asking questions at a conference, so this is not any sort of symptom of social anxiety (and she's actually a very social person), just that when she's more nervous, in a situation in which it's appropriate to be more nervous, the stutter worsens.

So, yes, I would agree with you that if the diagnosis was made on the basis of something like stuttering, then I'd really be suspicious of social anxiety disorder as the diagnosis, not to mention that ShawnD is telling us about the many friends he has, which also makes it hard to believe he has social anxiety disorder. Someone with that disorder would have a lot of trouble getting out and even meeting people let alone having friends.

 

[arildno]

I agree; I have the same experience with people with a stuttering problem that they tend to stutter less when relaxed.

However, I've also noted that some of them are rather reserved until they understand that the other is an intelligent person who won't dismiss them due to their stutter, or even worse, constantly tries to finish off the sentences for the stutterer.
But, I find this initial reservation an eminently rational attitude, and you'll find much the same attitude among people with other types of physical handicaps:
They have experienced more jerky attitudes towards themselves due to their handicap than us "normal" folk; why should they bother to give more of themselves unless the other shows he's worth it?