Some of my family members wonder if I may have something other than SD even though I have been dignosed with it and the Botox injections have worked about 60% of the time. Would botox work if I didn't have SD? That is what I tell them but am not sure myself. Some are very much against me having botox injections and I must say, lately I have not had much luck with the injections. It is such an expensive roller coaster ride that I have almost resigned myself to forgo Botox and be content with the voice that I have.

I would appreciate any advice.

I don't have any advice b/c I've wondered the same thing myself. I was originally told by a psychiatrist that my SD was a "throat stutter" which I view negatively. Not that it is a good way of thinking, but I held (and still somewhat hold) the view a lot of people do that stutters are strange and something to be afraid of. There is a stigma attached to them and I was now terrified that I had this condition out of something psychological that I must've been hiding. I then heard of SD from my PCP a little while later but delayed in seeking diagnosis from a specialist b/c I was afraid I wouldn't have SD and this "stutter" diagnosis would be accurate.

But then I was told it is SD. It was a relief but at the same time I worried that maybe it isn't just SD, that maybe there is a stutter aspect to it, and this scared the heck out of me.

It has taken me a long time and much agony to realize how unproductive and silly this is as a way of thinking about my voice & my self. 1) Not everyone associates a stigma to a stutter as I do. 2) I was diagnosed with SD and Botox helps a lot so that's a benefit right there. 3) Whatever it is (and I believe more in the SD diagnosis now the more I hear how other SDers think, etc.), it is something that I couldn't fix myself. Speech therapy alone didn't help, but the Botox does for a fairly good amount of time. So it's not a condition I think I am ever going to escape from now and I feel a bit more comfortable when I do accept it (which isa daily & ongoing effort).

But as the serenity prayer says, "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

I, too, am courious if others worry about a misdiagnosis of SD, or if SD is just a new medical term for what once was thought to be a psychological problem. I guess I'm worried that this is a sign of some mental/emotional/psychological weakness or flaw. I worry about these things. So if anyone has any advice on that, I'd love to hear it, too.

Bill

ADSD

Many people who post on this bulletin board are successful teachers, lawyers, engineers, or are in other professions that require a lot of talking. One person is a district court judge. In some cases we have had to modify our career path or use accomodations such as voice amplifiers. Today many employers are willing to make such accomodations. That said, I know that some people have severe and/or untreatable SD cases and have great difficulty finding work.

In your case, it sounds like you have been successful so far in your job despite a voice that isn't 100% what you would like. My approach is to let people know I have a disability, but at the same time make it clear what I am able to accomplish. It is your decision about whether to disclose your condition to your employer. The recent thread on "Job interview + being upfront" presents both sides of this issue.

Best,

Bill Vanderlinde

AB/SD Columbia, Maryland

Good point - probably not worth worrying about. But as Myra said, I've run into a lot of doctors who didn't & don't know about SD. And the first ENT doc I went to didn't think I had it, but then Dr. Bastian diagnosed me with it. All of this while the psychiatrist is telling me it's due to anxiety and a throat stutter. So I still feel confused and wonder what the real cause is sometimes.

But this is just a desire to know. Not worth worrying too much about.

Hi Bill,

You echo a lot of us oldtimers--"oldtimers" in the sense that it used to be so difficult to get our SD diagnosed. For years we were sent from doctor to doctor because none of them had a clue about what was causing our speech problem. They looked in our throat and couldn't see anything wrong, therefore it must be a mental/emotional/psychological problem. I, like many others, went through the same routine and was eventually advised to see a psychiatrist. I went because at that point I was willing to try anything. The psychiatrist, who also didn't have a clue, tried to tell me the cause was psychological, but I *knew* that it was physical--I just didn't know what.

You've probably already noticed that one of the potential side effects of having SD is depression, but that's from the hassle of trying to cope with it and not from the SD itself. If knowledgeable doctors say you have SD, that's reassuring, because you don't have to wonder anymore if it's all in your mind. It isn't mental weakness or a personality flaw; it's as physical as a broken leg, and you've come to the right place. Hang in there.