Psychologists refer to the habit of talking to yourself out loud as external self-talk. If you talk to yourself sometimes, then you are not alone. Far from being just an occasional tendency, it is actually quite common.
Self-talk can be a symptom of a number of mental illnesses. It can be a sign of an anxiety disorder, depression, PTSD, or obsessive-compulsive disorder. More severe mental illnesses associated with self-talk include schizophrenia and psychosis.
Do you talk to yourself? Rest assured, the habit is completely within the norm — and can even be beneficial. “Yes, research shows that talking to yourself is not at all 'crazy' and that, in fact, it is a normal human behavior,” clinical psychologist Carla Marie Manly, Ph. D.
Self-Talk and Mental Health
This is also known as “self-explaining.” Talking out loud helps people work through their thoughts. This is a healthy problem-solving tactic.
MUMBLING AS A PART OF PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDER
If the negative festering persists, then this self-talk is what most would consider mumbling and often sets the pretext of psychological disorders including PTSD, anxiety, schizophrenia, and clinical depression to name a few.
Narcissistic Personality Disorder: Compulsive talking may be a symptom of Narcissistic Personality Disorder. In this case, compulsive talking often manifests as a relentless need to self-promote or belittle others.
Schizotypal Personality Disorder.
Schizotypal Personality Disorder may also include compulsive talking as a symptom. Specific ideas or beliefs are likely to be the topic of compulsive speech. Topics might include conspiracy theories, ESP, or paranoid beliefs.
Hearing an internal dialogue with yourself that puts you down, devalues you to yourself, or makes things feel hopeless is called negative self talk. On occasion, this harsh form of criticism may be constructive, but when it becomes a pattern and impedes your progress, it's a problem.
This way of thinking is called catastrophic thinking, and it can be caused by problems with mental health or mental illness. Because of psychological issues or illnesses, a person may make up fake scenarios. For instance, an individual with an anxiety disorder might worry all the time about things they can't change.
definition: • excessively talkative in a rambling, roundabout manner, especially about trivial matters • wordy or diffuse.
“Talking to ourselves is completely within the norm. In fact, we talk to ourselves constantly,” says Dr. Jessica Nicolosi, a clinical psychologist based in New York. “One can argue that just thinking things through quietly, without speaking out loud, is talking to ourselves.”
Talking to yourself, it turns out, is a sign of genius. The smartest people on earth talk to themselves. Look at the inner monologues of the greatest thinkers. Look at poetry!
Why we talk ourselves out of things. One of the biggest reasons you talk yourself out of things is because you think you don't have the confidence to succeed. The keyword here is *think*. When you start to overanalyze your confidence levels, you pick apart the things about yourself that you're not confident in.
If talking to oneself becomes excessive, interferes with daily functioning, or is accompanied by other symptoms such as delusions or hallucinations, it may be a sign of a mental illness, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.
Others refer to it as inner dialogue, inner monologue or inner speech. “There are so many terms for it because it really is just that normal,” notes Dr. Tworek. So know that it's OK to sit back and process things through an internal conversation.
A study by Kornreich and colleagues found that people with bipolar disorder were likelier to talk to themselves during manic episodes than during depressive episodes or when in a euthymic (normal) state. The researchers suggested that self-talk could be used as a marker for the presence of manic symptoms.
Peculiar, eccentric or unusual thinking, beliefs or mannerisms. Suspicious or paranoid thoughts and constant doubts about the loyalty of others. Belief in special powers, such as mental telepathy or superstitions. Unusual perceptions, such as sensing an absent person's presence or having illusions.
Experts don't know exactly why maladaptive daydreaming happens. However, they suspect it happens because maladaptive daydreaming can be a coping mechanism for problems like anxiety, depression and other mental health conditions.
Self talk is a powerful way to regain control over run-away ADHD emotions, thoughts, and impulses. Here, learn how to talk with your child about his ADHD brain coach, how to harness its power, and how to take the stigma out of everyday ADD challenges.
The tricky thing about negative self-talk is that it can come in many forms. According to Mayo Clinic, there are four main ones to be exact: personalizing, filtering, catastrophizing, and polarizing.
Everyone has negative thoughts from time to time, but most children, teens, and adults with ADHD engage in negative thinking more frequently. These thoughts come from other people's mistaken judgments (“Why are you so lazy?”) and from themselves (“I can't do anything right!”).
Compulsive talkers are those who are highly verbal in a manner that differs greatly from the norm and is not in the person's best interest. Those who have been characterized as compulsive talkers talk with a greater frequency, dominate conversations, and are less inhibited than others.
In addition to hoarding conversation time, narcissistic communicators also tend to control and direct conversation topics. They focus on what they want to talk about, the way they want to talk about it, with little or no consideration for alternate views.
Some states of mania, anxiety, or agitation make people talk non-stop. Talking is a way to express their anguish. Their restlessness keeps them from being quiet or listening. Their way of talking is compulsive, and often disordered.