What is spasmodic dysphonia? RFK Jr voice disorder and treatment explained

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., known to the world as RFK Jr. for short, suffers from "spasmodic dysphonia, a specific form of an involuntary movement disorder called dystonia that affects only the voice box," ABC News has reported.

While the illness is not life-threatening, it does impact the afflicted individual's quality of life. As for exactly what it is, the Johns Hopkins definition reads as follows:

"Spasmodic dysphonia is a voice disorder. It causes involuntary spasms in the muscles of the voice box or larynx. This causes the voice to break and have a tight, strained or strangled sound. Spasmodic dysphonia can cause problems ranging from trouble saying a word or two to being not able to talk at all."

---

Here's all we know about RFK Jr.'s condition, spasmodic dysphonia:

RFK Jr., who now stands as the potential head of the HHS, has been outspoken about his voice over the years, as he was diagnosed with spasmodic dysphonia a long time ago, in 1996, Fox News reported.

"I had a very, very strong voice until I was 46 years old," Kennedy said during an interview with NewsNation in 2023. "It was unusually strong … It makes my voice tremble. At the time, I didn’t know what was wrong with it. But when I would go on TV, people would write me letters and say, ‘You have spasmodic dysphonia.’"

Back in April 2024, he reflected on how he feels about the sound of his voice, noting that he "hates" it.

"I feel sorry for the people who have to listen to me," he said. "My voice doesn’t really get tired. It just sounds terrible. But the injury is neurological, so actually the more I use the voice, the stronger it tends to get." He added, "If I could sound better, I would."

Speaking with Oprah Winfrey for the February 2007 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine, RFK Jr. revealed that "The disease didn't hit me until I was about 43. I used to have a strong voice." He noted that while in the beginning, his symptoms were not so intense and were merely a "mild tremble for a couple of years," it did go on to worse.

"There's a treatment for it: Botox shots. They put a needle into your voice box every four months," he shared at the time.

As for the treatment options, the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders states that behavioral therapy (voice therapy) is one method. However, this is typically done alongside the Botox injections.

As for the surgical options, Distractify has reported that these results seldom last forever. Dr. Robert Bastian, a former spokesman for Dysphonia International, told ABC News:

"If you do anything surgical, the dystonia tries to win. It tries to figure out a way around its obstruction."

---

As reported by Fox News, RFK Jr. told The Diane Rehm Show in 2005 that he does receive Botox injections every few months for his voice, though it remains unclear if he does so to this day.