I have a stammering problem since childhood. It makes me very uncomfortable, and I am tired of it. All my friends make fun of me. I have visited many doctors, but to no avail. Please suggest some medicine which can help me. I am fed up .
Sujaan

Dear Sujaan,

Stammering is most commonly developmental; that is, it starts in childhood. It can also start in adult life as a result of damage to a part of the brain. Finally, it may rarely occur due to other causes, such as drugs. Stammering affects about 1-2% of children and 0.5-1.0% of adults. Males are more commonly affected than females. There is a strong genetic basis to stammering. However, psychological factors, such as anxiety, worsen stammering in social settings.  There are many forms of speech, feedback, and relaxation therapies for stammering. Simple techniques that you can try include speaking slowly, concentrating on the words, speaking syllable by syllable, and consciously relaxing when speaking.

You need to speak slowly because it is difficult to stammer in slow motion. When you concentrate on the words that you utter, it is easier to utter them without a break in speech. When you speak in slow syllables instead of in words, such as when you say DIFF- I-CUL-TY instead of DIFFICULTY, the stammer decreases. Using a gentle singsong accent can also improve fluency. You will need to spend much time practising these techniques when you are alone. Above all, try not to be self-conscious, and make active efforts to relax when speaking to people. Finally, it would also help if your family and social environment is less critical and more supportive; this will reduce your anxiety and hence the associated worsening. Medicines are usually unhelpful for stammering. About half of children affected by stammering spontaneously recover during adult life. It could be a good idea for you to seek formal evaluation and problem-specific guidance from speech and hearing centres. Most persons can expect substantial improvement with speech therapy.

Dr Chittaranjan Andrade, MD (Psychiatry)
Professor in Psychopharmacology, NIMHANS