Mental Health and Stuttering
Hello! I am a recent graduate with my bachelor’s in psychology. I am interested in the psychological effects that may occur for a person who stutters. What kind of things did you experience throughout your life and how did it effect your mental health? What are some ways that helped you overcome those struggles or any advice you would give to others who are dealing with a similar situation? Thank you!
Generally, feelings like anxiety, depression, lack of self-esteem etc are analogous to PWS.
In my own experience, I suffered heightened anxiety as a result of stammering because I had a predisposition to anxiety. I struggled with accepting my stammer and put a lot of stress on myself hiding it from people. Anytime I stammered evidently infront of people, I’d fall into a season of depression. This cycle had repeated several times in my life before I let go the chains of self-denial.
I always point to that one thing which helped me overcome – accepting myself as a PWS and disclosing it to people. After acceptance, I overcame the fear of stammering, I still stammer-but I do so confidently. This is the one advice I’ve given, and I’ll still give: Come out of self denial and accept who you are for the sake of your mental health.
Best,
Elias.