Etymology

situational mutism

Today it means: selective mutism. Full definition →

Ask AI about its historyChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

The story

Coined as a more accurate term for the disorder, since people with selective/situational mutism do not choose to be silent; rather, the condition is an anxiety disorder that inhibits speech in certain situations.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.