Thinking while Talking

[paranoid_cataclysm]

Who here can consciously think verbal thoughts at least in between sentences while talking?  I thought maybe me not being able to was a symptom of my mental illness because when I was on a therapeutic dose of Geodon I was able to think consciously while speaking, while saying a sentence and also in between them, and thus my speech was way more articulate.  I couldn't ever do this before being treated and now on a really low dose I can't do it again.

[lexob9]

i've being told that dividing story into peaces lowers mental load on the brain

so  for example, divide whole story into three parts: starting(engagement), middle(building up to something) and ending(culmination where laughs happen or point of the story is understood)

parts could be different. here are some of the example:
1: what. so what. now what.
2: problem/oportunity. solution/action. benefits/learnings
but ideally you'd have to come up with your system how to divide stories everytime

[heyjude1]

I have racing thougts when I am in a manic episode.  My mind never slows down and rapidly goes from thought to another and I cannot follow a conversation becase it switches around so much.  A conversation can be on one subject and I switch to another subject.  Try to fall asleep with thoughts going around and around in your head.  

When I am not manic, I am very slow to respond and have problems finding correct words.  I know what I want to say but can't find the words.  It could be part of MI or some could be due to age?

[Jester2005]

I think you're right. I think that's why pdocs mis-dx sometimes... between the symptoms being the same for many illnesses and the us patients not being able to name every symptoms we have, it can be very difficult to properly dx someone... not to mention the self-medicating that many people do as well

[paranoid_cataclysm]

I think just about every symptom out there can be caused by multiple disorders/diseases.  Like take psychosis for example, it is the symptom of 120 disorders/diseases or more.

[Jester2005]

wow, and I thought this also had to do with my meningitis side effects... I can't think while talking and when I do talk I stumble and trip over my words, sometimes leaving words out or entire sentences... makes it difficult at work when I do sales on the phone, but luckily (for me) most of it is scripted... but my sales still suck, lol

[Cherie762]

Yes I did mean racing thoughts..that med has helped me lots. !

[paranoid_cataclysm]

Haha and my brain shuts up too much sometimes, especially while I am talking (while off proper treatment) as I originally posted.  I guess it takes all types on every part of the spectrum of any concept to make the world go 'round.

[babygir123]

yeper my brain never shuts up ...EVER!!

[ILADVOCATE]

I believe you would mean "racing thoughts" and that is common for bipolar. I've experienced that and a family member does who has cyclothymia (mild bipolar) and is just starting treatment. Lamictal was helpful for me on that for a good 10 years and on rapid cycling as well and as has been for many people though each person responds differently to each medication. When I experienced conversations (for me at least) it was more from auditory hallucinations ("hearing voices") of which I am (this would be a quote) in "relative remmission from" with that antipsychotic agent in Phase II FDA study. However, when I first signed up here I was off a mood stabilizer (not due to my own fault but because they couldn't find one that worked) and I did have racing thoughts and rapid cycling and many common issues like that. I require both an antipsychotic and a mood stabilizer as does everyone with schizoaffective disorder (schizophrenia with a mood disorder) which may be an extreme variant on bipolar according to some current research.

[paranoid_cataclysm]

I'm not sure what you mean is rapid thoughts since you didn't put who you were referring to or what you were referring to.  If you were referring to what I was talking about I didn't mean rapid thought but rather meant being able to think consciously and entirely by choice in a slow and organized and calm way about what I'm going to say next or about what I will say in response to a person while talking so I can plan out my conversation in advance during the conversation instead of it coming out as erratic and nonsensical since I can't plan it out at all while talking.

[Cherie762]

its called "rapid thoughts"  my psychiatrist prescribed Lamictal,,I was so pleased with the medicine I truely wish I had know about it years ago..It really stops the unrealistic thoughts or worries you will still react to a true woory as normal ie) almost getting into car accident,,,being carefull walking through snow or ice.

ask your dr about it

[wj74]

I do *okay* but I'm definitely better writing things down. I'm not good with self-correcting in my head before I say things.

[starbunny]

Yeah, I tried to explain this very problem to a friend once and they just couldn't understand - is definately therapeutic to talk to other people that have been there and know where you are coming from.

[paranoid_cataclysm]

ILADVOCATE -
I have done the exact same thing of practicing conversations with people in my head as I walk up to them to talk, just with things like even idle chat and I also ignored the same thing and as I improved I thought to discuss things they were interested in.  I might study my conversations from online like you in the future and perhaps get help from my therapist on how to improve my communication if possible,

starbunny -
I also have this problem but it is probably of the same nature as the above.  I sometimes don't even say anything due to not knowing how to express the idea.  My friend complains about how I would start in the middle of a story for example which I would get frustrated about, mostly at myself.  I also frequently left off the first word of my sentences from my thoughts jumping around so much when I would speak and it made people look at me funny sometimes or not know what I was talking about.

I really like how you can learn about yourself from other people in places like this.

[starbunny]

Another thing that I find difficult is talking about something that's happened to me that involves a bit of a story. It's like I need to be able to summarise it in one or two sentences for the story to be understood by the other person - sometimes I even have to rehearse it in my head first. Anything more complicated than that and I get all jumbled up, forget what I'm saying and tell it in a round and about not to the point kind of way which is why even when something really exciting has happened to be and I want to tell someone, I often think why bother! It's so much easier writing things down like this.  

[ILADVOCATE]

Before my current recovery I would have to "practice" entire conversations with people beforehand and those were not people that would emotionally upset me, just people I knew. I do know now because most of the mood regulation I experience is through the Catapres application system that when it is about to run out that I do experience flare ups as regards mania and can become overly talkative or emotionally react to a greater extent than needed. Right now due to the marked dysphagia I have most of the conversations I have are on my TTY but sometimes I look at the print outs of the conversations to see if I have done okay in engaging people and discussing things that would interest them as well which before my recovery as regards psychosis I basically ignored but those are part of the standard negative symptoms of schizophrenia.

[paranoid_cataclysm]

Yeah I also rely on other people to do the talking under normal circumstances... maybe it is a psychosis thing because I asked my friend who has no psychosis and he said he can indeed think while talking, it is how he makes jokes in fact.

[starbunny]

Same! made me a real lame conversationalist, I think some of it had to do with anxiety as well as the psychotic element, because I was very conscious of not being able to do this which just exacerbated the problem for me anyway. I got used to asking open questions and letting the other person do the talking!