A Selective Mutism Arising from First Language Attrition, Successfully Treated with Paroxetine-CBT Combination Treatment

Article

关键词: SEROTONIN REUPTAKE INHIBITORS;    2ND-LANGUAGE ACQUISITION;    ANXIETY DISORDER;    ELECTIVE MUTISM;    SOCIAL PHOBIA;   

DOI  :  10.4306/pi.2015.12.4.569

来源: SCIE

【 摘 要 】

After immersion in a foreign language, speakers often have difficulty retrieving native-language words and may experience a decrease in its proficiency, this phenomenon, in the non-pathological form, is known as first language attrition. Self-perception of this low native-language proficiency and apprehension occurring when speaking is expected and, may sometimes lead these people to a state of social anxiety and, in extreme forms, can involve the withholding of speech as a primitive tool for self-protection, linking them to selective mutism. We report an unusual case of selective mutism arising from first language attrition in an Italian girl after attending a two-year German language school, who successfully responded to a paroxetine-cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) combination treatment.