When Japanese people with selective mutism or former sufferers gather on the Internet, they sometimes argue about whether they made an effort to overcome selective mutism.
People who think they conquered selective mutism by themselves sometimes blame selective mutism sufferers. They think sufferers can't speak because sufferers don't make enough effort. I don't know what they call "effort" but I suppose they meant to say sufferers can overcome selective mutism by themselves if they try hard to speak or mingle with peers.
If people use selective mutism as an excuse for not speaking, some Japanese people say it's amae with contempt. Not only people who don't understand selective mutism, but former sufferers also do.
I'm also a former sufferer. But I don't think sufferers don't make enough effort. I think it's too much to encourage them to speak. They can't speak rather than don't speak because of anxiety. So, it's inappropriate to label them as amaeteiru with contempt. In addition, if someone force sufferers to utter words, sufferers get more anxious, and their symptoms worsen.
Index of SM in Japan
