Advice please as worried

[aimzbub22]

Hi

I never used to think anything of it but recently I've become worried.
I've always been paranoid about what people think of me, I have a habit of when I see people talking, if they make eye contact with me I immediately worry that they are talking about me. Or worrying that my friends are talking about me. I wouldn't say I'm a loner but I only have a small group of friends and I tend to keep to myself. When I say that I mean I could quite happily stay in the house. The reason I have posted this is because recently I have started noticing that (please nothing bad in the comments) I have started having conversations with myself in my head, like I am talking to someone in my head who isn't there. I looked up on the Internet about that and the first thing that came up was schizophrenia. I am terrified to talk to any one I know about it but I'm worried that I might have it because some of the symptoms are what I have.

Please any advice would be appreciated

Thank you.

What is the conversation in your head actually like? Are you literally having a conversation with yourself i.e. are you carrying out both sides of the conversation?
Is the conversation with 'someone else'? i.e. do you hear your own voice against the voice of someone else?

To have conversations in your head is actually very very normal. To have a running dialogue with yourself or someone else (or their voice) is also very normal. It's like your subconscious/other side of your brain making it's feelings known. The other voice in my head is usually my mothers, if it isn't my own.

I have entire conversations with her/me in my head, sometimes even heated debates/arguments. I was assured that this is quite normal by a professional some years back and most people have at least one voice in their head. It's not schizophrenia. It's normal.

Does this person in your head make nasty/insulting remarks/pt you down/tell you to do things you don't want to do?

I can't really describe it, it's not like I'm hearing a voice. Like I said I can't describe. Also I did suffer from depression when I was younger, I am currently living with several people in temp accompdation and even just cooking dinner while they were in the same room, my head just immediately went to, I can't describe it but I am so anxious and paranoid around strangers my mind immediately goes to "they will be talking about me when I leave the room."
I don't know wether that is classed as a put down