During his conversation with News 12 Long Island, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. revealed he had spasmodic dysphonia. While the politician refrained from providing specific information about the origins of his condition, there’s a good chance he doesn’t know all the details himself. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, there’s no real consensus on what causes it. Genetics and brain disorders can play a role, but so can more minor things, like speaking a lot. What’s more, symptoms — which can include a strained-sounding voice — might not seem all that concerning at first.
Speaking to Oprah Winfrey, Kennedy explained that his symptoms began when he was in his early 40s. “It began as a mild tremble for a couple of years,” he said. Unfortunately, he added that things had since progressed. Asked if his voice had become any more strained since the first symptoms had appeared, he replied, “I’ve been told that it’s not supposed to, but I think it has.” Speaking to Long Island News 12, he also shared that at one point, he went through patches where he’d lose his ability to speak altogether. “When I started talking in the morning, I wouldn’t know if anything was going to come out of my mouth,” he recounted.
Making matters worse, as noted by Johns Hopkins Medicine, there is no cure for spasmodic dysphonia.
