Faradic stimulation in the treatment of functional aphonia: A case series

Abstract

Dissociative disorders have many clinical presentations, one of which is mutism. Hysterical mutism, or functional aphonia (FA), is a functional disorder of the vocal cords presenting as loss of voice with no change in the integrity of the anatomy or physiology of the voice box. Modern understanding of its etiology suggests a strong role for psychosocial stressors. Treatment modalities for this condition are aplenty and vary in mode of administration. This case series describes the use of faradic stimulation in the treatment of FA.

Keywords

• dissociative disorder
• faradic stimulation
• functional aphonia