Welcome to my dissertation blog.  Our first assignment in regards to this blog is to write about our problem statement.  To me, that is a problem in and of itself.  I have had a hard time narrowing down my ideas.  We were able to brainstorm during a recent class regarding our problem statement and I did contribute and idea, but I was not pleased with it.  So I have been toying with the idea since then.  Our statement is to be written in a negative connotation with the idea that this is a problem that need to be solved.  My initial statement from class related to the lack of referrals from ENTs regarding muscle tension dysphonia.  The more I thought about the problem, I tried to see it from other angles.  The one I believe I have settled on is, work related stress is causing excessive tension in the laryngeal area resulting in muscle tension dysphonia. Some of my evidence to back up this problem statement comes directly from my current case load.  I have three women on case load, all with similar symptoms related to excessive tension in the larynx which all seem to stem from their work environment.  I know a lack of public knowledge that this could be a potential hazard is also a large contributor to this problem.  Many patients seek out medical attention and receive treatment for reflux, laryngitis, and/or allergies, when in fact, it is the excessive tension they are carrying in their larynx causing their symptoms.  This can be very problematic for those who depend on their voice to make a living, such as teacher, customer service call center reps, pastors/preachers and the like.