BONUS EPISODE: Dr. E on Medication 💊

In this BONUS EPISODE of Unspoken Words, Dr. Elisa Shipon-Blum answers common medication questions from families in treatment, by email, and at CommuniCamp.

Medication isn’t necessary for everyone with Selective Mutism.

When appropriate, it can reduce anxiety and support therapy, but it cannot replace skill building, parent and school staff training, as well as 

Dr. E looks beyond whether someone is speaking to consider social, emotional, academic, and communicative functioning. She explains her “low and slow” approach to SSRIs, aiming for the lowest effective dose, and discusses:

• Why medication should never be called “talking medicine”
• Positive behavioral changes versus disinhibition to report to a prescriber
• Why new distractibility doesn’t necessarily mean ADHD
• Early signs of progress
• Tapering, missed doses, and why medication should never be stopped suddenly without prescriber guidance.

The key question is: What is making communication difficult? Supporting comfort, connection, and confidence helps communication grow.

This episode is educational only. Medication decisions should be made with a qualified prescribing clinician.

For more on medication, listen to EP6 of the Unspoken Words podcast.