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Why do I stutter? Hi, I'm a 22 year old male who seems to have acquired a stutter at some point around middle school. I am curious how my symptoms compare to others', and what the best course of action is to reduce them. 1. I never stutter in front of friends. I feel like it's the fear of being laughed at in front of people I know that overpowers the stutter. Most of my friends would never guess that I have a stutter. Similarly, I never stutter when giving presentations. 2. I always stutter with the same people. My father, an authoritative figure in my life, is probably the person I stutter with the most. Nearly every sentence. However, I also stutter with my grandmother, the most sympathetic person to my cause. 3. I stutter more when I speak foreign languages. I speak almost entirely in Chinese with my father and grandmother. I stutter with Spanish-speaking customers as well. 4. The more I think about it, the more I stutter. For example, when checking out of a grocery store with a card, I become extremely anxious for the inevitable question "debit or credit?" I always freeze up and cannot answer without stuttering significantly. 5. Certain consonant sounds that I self-deem as more "complex" such as "thr-" and "str-" give me the most trouble. I have a theory it's all in my head and these sounds give me the anxiety mentioned in 4 from over-thinking it. 6. I can relate to many symptoms of OCD, including many compulsive behaviors and thoughts. However, I've never been officially diagnosed. I am not sure if this is relevant. 7. The atmosphere in my household was not great when my late grandmother passed away - could this have been an inciting incident to anxiety and ultimately stuttering? Are these symptoms common among stutterers? I feel like my stutter is mild compared to others, yet it is still debilitating, especially when I cannot communicate to my own family sometimes. I often avoid certain menu items because I fear stuttering. I was wondering if I can get any guidance for the root of my stutter, and, ultimately try to fix it (preferably without medication). Thanks in advance for your assistance and attention!