Selective mutism defines one's inability to speak in certain situations. One who suffers this is actually fully capable of speech, but goes completely silent in one scenario, e.g. at school or in the presence of a violent family member or in Raj's case, when a woman is around. It is a serious anxiety disorder, usually paired with shyness and/or social anxiety. The following points all have to be present for the disorder to be called selective mutism: