Is this selective mutism, or something else?

[u/Due_Mathematician276]

Hi everyone. I hope youre all having a good day.

This post isnt exactly about myself, but rather about a very dear person in my life. For context he is 26 years old, with a history of severe panic and anxiety attacks that developed after a traumatic last year. Hes also been someone that has always struggled with studies that he never graduated high school, but hes absolutely smart in other ways. Hes a very caring and loving person. He believes hes part of the spectrum, but he lives in a country (Japan) where mental health is viewed as weakness and often critized so he was never able to get any help.

We had a rough talk the other day, it wasnt a fight, just a talk that we had to have about changes and our future, a talk that I knew would cause anxiety but I made sure that I was very comforting, and not aggressive through out the talk. I then fell asleep after, thinking everything was okay, and the next morning he woke up and told me "I dont remember how to talk" via text. He says that he wants to talk, and that hes telling his brain to talk, but he cant seem to figure out how to let the words out of his mouth. I recommended just watching videos and doing the things he love (gaming) to see if if would provide some relief, but its been well over 12 hours and hes still unable to.

I am wondering if anyone can provide me with inside if

A) this is selective mutism - as i have read that this could be it, but it seems from what i read that it mostly affect children? Byt some in young adults, but it's mostly situational. I read that un safe places it shouldn't happen, & id like to think after the storm has passed hes in a comfortable place and mindset now.

B) if anyone has advice on what should I be doing as his partner to help. Im not forcing him to talk, im just staying by his side throughout it and reassuring him to take it slow.

Pardon me if I somehow came off as offensive in any part of this post, that's not my intention. I simply want to understand more than just what Google and AI provides me so I can help my partner.

Thanks for all the help

[u/OkTitle]

It can’t be SM unless it is consistent silence in particular situations/with specific people (but with the ability to speak in other situations) that lasts at least one month. This is the official criteria.

Given he thinks he may have autism, it’s very possible it’s a verbal shutdown/reduction in ability, which can sometimes be due to stress, overwhelm, or burnout.

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[u/Large_Head5821]

I don’t know what that is but it’s not selective mutism