Background: The term vocal cord dysfunction has been used by clinicians to describe a variety of conditions including paradoxical vocal fold motion disorder (PVFM). There has been prior documentation of a relationship of mental health issues, primarily anxiety, and PVFM. As a result of this information our clinical practice began incorporating mental health screening tools into our assessments for patients diagnosed with PVFM. The tools used in our practice include the Life Events Checklist (LEC) and the PTSM Checklist (PCL).
Objectives: The purpose of this 16 patient retrospective pilot study is to determine if there is a trend between patients what have experienced emotional trauma as described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-V) and PVFM.