Selective mutism

In psychiatry, selective mutism (SM) is an anxiety disorder in which a person who is otherwise capable of speech becomes emotionally overwhelmed and does not speak when exposed to specific situations, specific places, or to specific people, one or multiple of which serve as triggers. This kind of mutism usually co-exists with social anxiety disorder. People with selective mutism may stay silent even when the consequences of their silence include shame, social ostracism, or punishment. In some cases, the affected person wants to speak, but feel like they can not get the words out.