Its been about a month now since I’ve learned that I am the recipient of The Sharon Johnston Champion of Mental Health Award for Youth and two days since its been announced publicly, and I feel like it’s finally starting to sink in. For those who missed my huge announcement, I am the recipient of The Sharon Johnston Champion of Mental Health Award for Youth. On May 3rd, I will be recognized in front of many VIPs, mental health professionals, and special guests at the gala in Ottawa. I am so excited, not only to share my story on the national level, but also to gain important awareness for Selective Mutism across Canada.
People sometimes ask me why I share my story and how it became global. The truth is, it was, and still is, the most painful thing that I will ever experience. The reason that I put myself and my story out there is because I don’t want anyone else to have to endure what I have endured in the past five years of my life, and I also know that what happened to me is continuing to happen on a daily basis all around the world. Research shows that selective mutism affects 7 in every 1000 school-aged children. When broken down, this means that approximately 1 in every 142 students have selective mutism. According to this statistic, at least one child or teenager in almost every single school across Canada will have selective mutism. We are told that selective mutism is very rare, but, really, if we look at this statistic, and compare it to other childhood condition statistics such as Down Syndrome (1 in 700), Autism Spectrum Disorders (1 in 160) and hearing impairments (1 in 500) its not rare at all. So why it is that selective mutism is so unknown? If selective mutism is more common than many well-known childhood conditions, than why isn’t it common knowledge? Thinking about this brings me back to painful memories of my family on wits end, feeling so hopeless and searching desperately not only for treatment methods, but also a medical professional who had some knowledge on selective mutism and could put these treatment methods into place. I’ve had my fair share of bad experiences due to lack of understanding. I went to the emergency room in a mental health crisis to be told by the doctor, someone who had gone to med school for many years, that speaking was always a choice. I remember being told by my own psychiatrist, someone who I genuinely trusted in helping me to get better, that if I didn’t start speaking to him, he would intentionally put me on a different medication that would make me gain weight. I remember having all of my belongings, such as my clothes and toiletries, locked up when I was in the hospital, and when I wrote a note asking if I could have my shampoo to take a shower, the nurse told me that I had to “use my words” in order to get it. No one deserves to go through this, and what bothers me is that these things happened to me when I was between the ages of 16 and 18, and selective mutism is most commonly seen in pre-school aged children who may be unable to appropriately express what is going on and stand up for themselves. Some people may ask why we didn’t report these people but when you have selective mutism, this becomes your normal and you become accustomed to others not understanding you at all. Actually, I’m grateful that those experiences happened to me, someone who was able to stand up for herself and knew that it was wrong, so that my family was able to educate these professionals on selective mutism and it would (hopefully) not happen to someone else in my shoes. In reality, because of my experiences, there are now a few more people in the world who are educated about selective mutism. That is truly how desperate the SM community is for awareness. So when people ask me why I share my story and why I am so open about my experiences, I want them to know that it is not for recognition, praise or awards. I started Lauren’s SM Journey as a small summer project, and wasn’t even expecting 5 views. My story isn’t unusual, and I know for a fact that many families struggling with SM can relate to something I have experienced. I want to be a voice for those who are unable to stand up for themselves, those who are stuck in this big black hole that no one seems to know how to get out of. When I walk across the stage on May 3rd to receive this award, it isn’t about me at all. This award is for the people who struggle every single day in silence, the families and friends who try to do anything they can to help someone with SM, and the professionals who do their absolute best to treat SM, despite the lack of resources. Thank you for never giving up. Your seemingly never-ending work is truly giving us hope in a world that seems hopeless.
2 Comments
Lauren - Many congratulations. Your efforts are being noticed not just in Canada but across the world. My daughter is 10 and finding your blog is going to help her feel she is not along in her selective mutism. And as a parent I also feel support from know that there are people like you willing to speak out. It all helps. Please do continue - this is very important work you are doing.
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Natalie
6/30/2017 10:50:15 am
My 9 year old daughter has SM. progress has been slow. I'd love to connect with other moms in New Brunswick.
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CategoriesAll About MeMy name is Lauren and I am 20 years old. I have an anxiety disorder called selective mutism that limits my ability to speak outside of my home. I believe that this disorder has touched me for a reason, and my life mission is to bring much needed awareness to this heartbreaking disorder. Welcome to my journey. Archives
January 2018
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