My daughter has been on Prozac for 10 months and we’ve seen little progress. She seems a little more relaxed, but is not speaking at all in school or to adults other than close family members. We are not sure where to go from here;the psychiatrist recommended that we try her on a different medication. I’ve heard that Prozac works well for a lot of kids, but is it not effective for some?

Answer

This scenario happens far too often. The main reasons for this are:

• Depending on medication alone to “make the child speak”
• No treatment plan to enable the child to develop coping skills for overcoming anxiety

What needs to be understood is that mutism becomes ingrained behavior, and that unless specific tactics and techniques are introduced, this behavior can’t be easily unlearned. Therefore, if a child is taking medication but there are no tools to help them unlearn mutism, progress will often be limited and stifled.

Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum