# Don't know if i should even call this a symptom...



## steve (Jul 13, 2006)

Well i've posted a few times about random chatter going on in my head... not anything that is talking to me directly though, or influencing my behaviour, just random words and sentences (not all the time though). 

Anyway, i play guitar, and often come up with little riffs that i record. While i'm playing these riffs though, it's like my brain is creating an image of something, which relates to the music. It's quite weird, an example would be, if it was a sad sounding riff, i would be thinking about orphans or something. Is this a sign of something serious? Or just normal mental imagery?


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## Ludovico (Feb 9, 2007)

I'm pretty sure it's normal because I get the same thing. If I am working on a song, a breakbeat will always get stuck in my head for the rest of the day and I will try to work it into every other song I hear that day.


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## ?real?ity? (Feb 18, 2007)

you got some good imagination man


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## invisible.ink (Feb 2, 2007)

That happens to me when I'm listening to music. I'd say it's normal.


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## PPPP (Nov 26, 2006)

Made me think of this although I don't think this is what you were talking about exactly. It's still an interesting note on the same general topic.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synesthesia


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## Rozanne (Feb 24, 2006)

I don't know Steve, I would be less worried of the visual representations and more worried about the chatter. Do you have any other issues? How long has it been going on for?


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## jeremy (Apr 28, 2006)

I wouldnt worry about it too much steve. I recall another thread from before about this same thing. I get the chatter too, but it is when I am just about to fall asleep, sort of like midway between sleeping and being awake.


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## IQ (Mar 20, 2007)

I think this is perfectly normal. When im producing, i can mentally see the shape of sounds in my head. Its hard to explain, but every sound has a texture and i can see it almost like a waveform in my own head.


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## steve (Jul 13, 2006)

Miss_Starling said:


> I don't know Steve, I would be less worried of the visual representations and more worried about the chatter. Do you have any other issues? How long has it been going on for?


Thank you for your reply, no i don't have any other problems really. Except for the occasional dp/dr, which is why i joined in the first place.  I'm not worrying about the "chatter" because it's not anything i can understand, and like i said in my first post, it's not influencing my behaviour or talking to me, and i don't believe it to be anything seperate from my mind... :roll: it's just a weird thing i get now and again, most often when i'm tired or anxious.


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## Rozanne (Feb 24, 2006)

If you believe it to be part of your own mind then that's a good thing. But aural hallucinations don't have to be talking to you to be significant.


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## Ludovico (Feb 9, 2007)

jeremy said:


> I wouldnt worry about it too much steve. I recall another thread from before about this same thing. I get the chatter too, but it is when I am just about to fall asleep, sort of like midway between sleeping and being awake.


Yes'm


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## Rozanne (Feb 24, 2006)

Dear Steve,
Please forgive me for routing though your past posts but I was interested to know what other symptoms you have had. It looks like you are either really quite dissociated or something else is going on...you frequently say you are worried about schizophrenia, so am I. But aside from full-blown mental illness there are more subtle syndromes. You obviously have insight into your symptoms and that is why you wouldn't be considered mad. But you also mention a collection of things: passivity, repetetive music loops in your head, mind chatter and random thoughts.

I consider myself schizotypal. It's not necessarily a "bad" label, just indicates that something is not quite right, however the person may otherwise use their difference for adademic or creative success. Maybe you should look over the criteria on Wikipedia and see if you relate to them. (Since you aren't suffering to the extent of going to the doctor's but just asking questions about what is going on in your head). Otherwise, I think it is always best to go to a professional and see what they think. Not all psychiatrists are bad....just some of them. :?


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## steve (Jul 13, 2006)

Miss_Starling said:


> Dear Steve,
> Please forgive me for routing though your past posts but I was interested to know what other symptoms you have had. It looks like you are either really quite dissociated or something else is going on...you frequently say you are worried about schizophrenia, so am I. But aside from full-blown mental illness there are more subtle syndromes. You obviously have insight into your symptoms and that is why you wouldn't be considered mad. But you also mention a collection of things: passivity, repetetive music loops in your head, mind chatter and random thoughts.
> 
> I consider myself schizotypal. It's not necessarily a "bad" label, just indicates that something is not quite right, however the person may otherwise use their difference for adademic or creative success. Maybe you should look over the criteria on Wikipedia and see if you relate to them. (Since you aren't suffering to the extent of going to the doctor's but just asking questions about what is going on in your head). Otherwise, I think it is always best to go to a professional and see what they think. Not all psychiatrists are bad....just some of them. :?


I appreciate your interest in my symptoms, and I am grateful for your replys, but i just read up on the symptoms of "schizotypal" disorder and to be honest, i don't fit any of the symptoms listed really. But I do get paranoid sometimes, but usually when i'm feeling insecure about my appearance. I also used to be socially anxious, but it seemed to fade away slowly as i went through college. I don't think seeing a professional would be of any use, it would probably make me worse being introduced to all these possible disorders i may be developing (i'm quite the hypercondriac). I am also aware that my age group (i'm 17) have a higher risk of developing mental disorders, due to the brain maturing and such. But thanks again for reading my posts, it makes me feel much better knowing i'm not alone with this.


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## Ludovico (Feb 9, 2007)

Wikipedia breeds hypochondria


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## steve (Jul 13, 2006)

Ludovico said:


> Wikipedia breeds hypochondria


Completley agree with you there, my hypocondria started with a possible heart condition scare i had a couple of years ago. Opened my eyes to all the things you can get wrong with you. Headaches were tumours, leg pain was a blood clot, and all lumps and bumps pointed to cancer... wikipedia is pure evil. :roll:

I'm feeling talkative tonight.


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## Guest (Mar 30, 2007)

Ludovico said:


> Wikipedia breeds hypochondria*[Full stop]*


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## jeanie82 (Nov 6, 2006)

Steve, we've spoken before. I think we experience DP in a similar way - I also get the repeditive song loops and the mind chatter.

Am i right when I say the mind chatter isn't actually an aural hallicination? It's not a voice you hear, it's just words popping in to your head, in "your own" voice? That's what its like for me anyway. If you are actually experiencing aural hallicinations, then maybe I'd be a bit more worried...

I too looked at the schizotypoal personality disorder and it doesn't fit me at all, although i have all the symptoms you've described.


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## steve (Jul 13, 2006)

jeanie82 said:


> Steve, we've spoken before. I think we experience DP in a similar way - I also get the repeditive song loops and the mind chatter.
> 
> Am i right when I say the mind chatter isn't actually an aural hallicination? It's not a voice you hear, it's just words popping in to your head, in "your own" voice? That's what its like for me anyway. If you are actually experiencing aural hallicinations, then maybe I'd be a bit more worried...
> 
> I too looked at the schizotypoal personality disorder and it doesn't fit me at all, although i have all the symptoms you've described.


Hi Jeanie82, i remember speaking to you before. This chatter is not a voice i can actually hear, but words popping into my head like you said. Like an out of control inner monologue.


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## Guest (Mar 31, 2007)

Nice avatar steve


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## Monkeydust (Jan 12, 2005)

Jeez...the guy clearly doesn't have schizophrenia or anything like it. Having random 'chatter' (thoughts) in your head is normal. Visualization of stuff you hear or think about is also normal.

Nothing to worry about dude.


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## steve (Jul 13, 2006)

Emulated Puppet}eer said:


> Nice avatar steve


Thanks  good band and album. :wink:


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## Rozanne (Feb 24, 2006)

Dear Steve, 
Wikipedia is useful - hopefully in the future people will go to the doctors more to enquire about symptoms they have had and researched on the internet. Millions of people have diseases without even knowing it - even diabetes is under-diagnosed, let alone personality disorders.

The intention of telling you to get a professional opinion is not to increase your hypochondria but to try and nip it in the bud. Because one thing that does increase hypochondria is asking questions and browsing the internet _without_ taking your concerns to someone who knows about it. That's my humble opinion.
Rozanne


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## Rozanne (Feb 24, 2006)

Hands up, I am one of those people who would rather know what is going on with me than any alternative.


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## PPPP (Nov 26, 2006)

Wikipedia is a really useful general info tool but everything you find on there should be taken with grain of salt.
Ask your doctor, as Rozanne, said or read up on whatever it is in peer reviewed journals or other more reliable sources because it's easy to misinterpret that info and it's also really easy to stumble across a wiki page that is not properly researched or is pushing a particular point of view.


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## Rozanne (Feb 24, 2006)

I do apologise if it seemed like I was trying label you in some way. I wasn't intending anything of the sort. I have a book on "shadow syndromes" which is basically about subtle versions of disorders and I do believe that many people - who would be considered normal - have ideosyncracies which would otherwise have a label, if it caused the person that much bother.

If on some instinctive level, something is felt as wrong, it often is. That is what drives us to find out more. And whereas hypochondria does not lead to anything...correctly assessing your symptoms or tendancies can.

I for one believe that labels correctly used are a good thing. But I do not think that you can be fully sure of label until you have been through a rigorous assessment by a professional.

I do not believe that psychiatric patients, or anyone else, should be treated as if they are stupid. Most people have the ability to say whether they relate to something or not....

Just felt I had to justify myself on this.

I also thought that you meant audio hallucinations (voices) when you said mind chatter. ..because you said nothing speaking to you.

Sorry, I just look far too deeply into everything and really wasn't any of my business. Nose officially out...
Rozanne


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