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Mental health

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Word wanking, verbal masturbation - talking to oneself, in other words...

29 replies

SmugColditz · 07/09/2008 11:38

I am talking to myself more and more. Is this a dreadful dreadful thing?

I play out conversations in my head, always have done, but I'm starting to do it out loud and not just at home, and someone in a shop the other day gave me That Look.

I sometimes don't know I'm doing it.

I told my HV this a couple of years ago, and she completely over-reacted and called the crisis mental health care team - who told her not to be ridiculous and to stay out of my treatment.

The thing is, nobody I told seemed to be bothered but I was very depressed at the time and a lot of things are lost in the smog of depression. They may have told me about how to manage it but I can't remember, I was convinced they were coming to take my children away (they weren't, not at all, they were actually just concerned I'd hurt myself)

Now, I'm not depressed, but the talking to myself thing is revving up again. It's like when you think to yourself - Oh, I wish I'd said that! I wish I'd told him to stick it up his blah blah blah.... well, I will say it, out loud, after the event.

How bad is this, do you think I need to see a doctor, is it a symptom of something serious, and how do I stop it happening in public?

OP posts:
aSlurOnBrilliantScientists · 11/09/2008 00:38

There is a fascinating book that in parts discusses verbalising conflicts and trouble thoruhg convos, prob Ramachandran, maybe I made it up. Can't remember.

One point I think is that it is a perfectly usual and useful way of thinking.

We all have an internal voice, one that is usually heard inside your head. To play out the voice makes it more concrete and responding to scenarios and playing them through can lead to a surprising amount of completion.

IOW you chat to yourself, I do not believe this in itself is a problem of any kind.

aSlurOnBrilliantScientists · 11/09/2008 00:40

May I add that I love your use of 'word wanking'

gorgeous.

SuperBunny · 11/09/2008 00:49

Children do this all the time. They talk things through to help make sense of the world. So, it doesn't seem unreasonable that adults do it too.

aSlurOnBrilliantScientists · 11/09/2008 00:54

An excellent point superbunny

We verbalise to explore our thoughts. I see nothing wrong with that.

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