Disease or Syndrome
mutism Audio
mut·ism [ myoo-tiz-uhm ]
Subclass of:
Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Speech Disorders
Definitions related to mutism:
  • Organic or functional absence of the faculty of speech. See also stupor.
    Sadock's Comprehensive Glossary of Psychiatry and Psychology
    BJ Sadock Titles Press, 2012
  • The inability to generate oral-verbal expression, despite normal comprehension of speech. This may be associated with BRAIN DISEASES or MENTAL DISORDERS. Organic mutism may be associated with damage to the FRONTAL LOBE; BRAIN STEM; THALAMUS; and CEREBELLUM. Selective mutism is a psychological condition that usually affects children characterized by continuous refusal to speak in social situations by a child who is able and willing to speak to selected persons. Kussmal aphasia refers to mutism in psychosis. (From Fortschr Neurol Psychiatr 1994; 62(9):337-44)
    NLM Medical Subject Headings
    U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2021
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