15 year old talking to themselves

[Numberedout]

Have name changed for this and am posting here for traffic.
I am wondering if anyone has any experience of this and could shed some light as I'm driving myself crazy.
I caught DD talking to herself in the bathroom. She's doesn't know that I was listening. It was a full blown conversation about stuff but I couldn't quite make out what exactly as there is a fan on in there.
I have family history of schizophrenia and psychosis from my dad's side and all sorts of things are running through my head.
She has always done this, even as a young child. But since the last couple of years I thought she had outgrown it but clearly not.
She has a few friends at school and seems to engage in family life ok.

@doodleschnoodle no her phone was downstairs
@lanthanum no definitely talking to herself

I must be unusual then does that make me unique.
I have conversations with my self i mean who else is going to give me the right answer.

I do this all the time especially in the shower as I can sort of sort things out in my head then eg what I'm going to say to someone, what I need to do etc

I practice conversations out loud in the shower. I have an autism diagnosis if that matters.

Talking to yourself is absolutely fine. But since there is a family history of schizophrenia, I would be asking myself if there are any other behaviours that suggest psychosis. Is she generally happy and motivated? Sleeping well? Socialising? Your final sentence suggests that she is doing ok. With your family experience, you are probably able to judge whether anything worrying is going on. Trust your instincts and seek help if you feel it is appropriate.

I do this all the time, but now in my head. But that's only because I used to do it out loud, and I was the star of some fabulous vampire thing (possibly interview with a vampire!) and narrating the scene and walked by some mean girls houses at around aged 14. They heard me and told everyone I talked to myself and everyone ridiculed me, so now I do it all in my head (and incidentally am in vampire diaries right now - there is obviously a theme here).

I still do it in the car and in the house on my own. I'm not diagnosed with anything, my worst trait is overthinking. So sometimes I play out discussions etc.

Thanks for your kind replies, much appreciated.
It's very reassuring.

I am guilty of jumping on everything my children do that feels "odd".
I have had a traumatic childhood due to poor mental health in close and wider members of my family. The ripple effects means that I'm trying to protect my own children from the same fate. The rational part of me knows I can't control everything and that I need to let them be but the worry wort in me won't stop over analysing!

@Plastictrees from my experience of a close relative with schizophrenia, it's definitely related unfortunately. The only difference is that the affected person talks to themselves in public as well as in private.

Oh my gosh I’m glad it’s not just me! I’ll often have pretend interviews, usually on Graham Norton talking about how I’ve become a famous actress after being discovered in some random place! 😛

On a more serious note, I’ve spoken to myself from a young age, it helps me process things and say things I wouldn’t necessarily say out load but having these convos with myself helps as I’m more honest and open.

I talk to myself all the time xx I run through conversations in my head and then realise I'm talking out loud!

I actually think it's more concerning that you don't talk to yourself

Neither of my 15 year olds do that regarding full blown conversations but they do mutter things to themselves and sometimes will state things they need to do to themselves if that makes sense. I don't think it's unusual tbh

I got a dog.

I got a dog because I talk to myself.

I got a dog because I talk to myself and people stared.

I got a dog because I talk to myself and people stared but now think I'm talking to my dog, I am not.

@ohtowinthelottery I'm not sure, I couldn't hear properly. It was definitely a full on conversation though. I'm going to try and listen again if I can.

from my experience of a close relative with schizophrenia, it's definitely related unfortunately. The only difference is that the affected person talks to themselves in public as well as in private

I talk to myself in public, I even nod etc if I agree with what I'm saying.
I sometimes get strange looks but it's just another way of thinking.

I talk to myself all the time. There's nothing (clinical) wrong with me! It's how I process things, or prepare for conversations, or solve problems.

I have always chattered away to myself. I'm the most interesting person in my life - why would I not? 🤷‍♀

I talk to myself all the time and always have done.

DS also talks to himself - usually rehearsing conversations- he has ADHD and finds some things awkward.

When it’s just me and him have been known to sit at the table each talking to ourself!

Do they??

Sometimes talking to yourself is the only way to get a sensible answer, as my DF always said.

Might be maladaptive daydreaming. I've done this since I was a child and didn't realise it was a thing until I saw a tictok on it! I live an entirely seperate life in my head, as someone else. When I was younger and having a conversation in my head in my other life sometimes I'd speak it out loud without even realising. I tick alot of boxes for adhd and think it developed as a way to focus my mind on something. I've done it my whole life.

Some will be doing “tutorials” like they watch on tik tok…

But you have reason to be concerned … perhaps open with
were you doing a hair /make up/ skincare tutorial ?!

Judge response …

This seems like quite a disproportionate response from you. If I was to overhear a family member talking to themselves, I wouldn’t think anything of it, let alone try to listen again!

Thought verbalising is the term. My mum does it incessantly; she always has, she doesn’t have a psychiatric diagnosis.

Is there a backstory here?

Thinking about it, I definitely have an inner dialogue going on all the time but iv not done it out loud. Maybe I am the strange one 😂

DD is a deep thinker and can literally pull the smallest topic from every direction into every point of view and that was how her conversation sounded when I overheard her.
Like a PP said, I'll keep an eye on it but have relaxed about it a little. I can see why it would regulate some people. Talking out loud must be much less tiring than having a constant inner dialogue which I personally find exhausting!

My apprehension about the family link will always be there but I wont intervene for now.

I talk out loud a lot to rehearse conversations. It would sound like one side of a conversation. Kind of thing might be if I have a difficult meeting at work, I'll find myself often in the bathroom saying out loud what I might say in response to a question. It wouldn't though sound like a conversation with myself back and forth, or like I was responding in the moment to something I was hearing. I think you'd know though if she experiencing significant mental health symptoms.

Just read this. I work in this field, someone talking to themselves would not indicate psychotic illness - there would need to be a broader picture of concern which you haven’t provided here, apart from your own fears and anxieties. Would you seek support for that? This sounds an exhausting way to live and you are risking pathologising someone unnecessarily, and negatively impacting your relationships by doing so. I understand what you mean about your traumatic history and desire to protect your children, that make sense and says so much positively about you as a mother. It can be beneficial to unpack our own trauma in order to gain a better understanding of ourselves and a clearer sense of others too, if trauma is unprocessed we can view things through a kaleidoscope of threat and danger which can be unhelpful. All the best to you OP.