[Ultra Darkness]

My brother thinks I don't speak clearly. He says that no one understands anything I say, and it's true that I'm often asked to repeat things. I think I speak clearly, but at the same time, I know that I often stumble over my words, and I don't always understand my own statements. Sometimes I feel like I'm grabbing words at random, then arranging them in the way that makes the most sense, but they don't always relate to the topic, or each other. Despite all of this, I'm halfway convinced that everyone around me is deaf.
It's like I can't communicate with the spoken word, and it's getting steadily worse. Can someone please tell me it's just stress or something?

If you've been under more stress than usual, it's possible. Has this gotten a lot worse as of late?

I can speak, I'm actually fairly well spoken, providing it's just "normal" gibberish or it's related to facts, figures, or completely informational in nature. I cannot talk about emotional stuff at all nor am I good at "chit-chat". "Hi, how are you doing?" is about as far as I get before I run out of things to say.

My only suggestion is to try to slow down when it comes to speaking. Think about exactly what you want to say before you open your mouth. Maybe you have so much on your mind and/or are so anxious that you know what you want to say but it gets all jumbled up on the way out.

[Ultra Darkness]

Originally Posted by Maranara

If you've been under more stress than usual, it's possible. Has this gotten a lot worse as of late?

I can speak, I'm actually fairly well spoken, providing it's just "normal" gibberish or it's related to facts, figures, or completely informational in nature. I cannot talk about emotional stuff at all nor am I good at "chit-chat". "Hi, how are you doing?" is about as far as I get before I run out of things to say.

My only suggestion is to try to slow down when it comes to speaking. Think about exactly what you want to say before you open your mouth. Maybe you have so much on your mind and/or are so anxious that you know what you want to say but it gets all jumbled up on the way out.

I don't remember when it started getting worse. Slowing down doesn't really help much, because then there are pauses in my speech. Long ones, sometimes. I'm having a harder time conveying information too, and my brother has lately been pointing out that I sound flat, which he didn't used to do.
This is definitely bothering me.

Another thought. Think of a subject you can randomly talk about for two or three minutes, or ask your brother to talk with you for perhaps slightly longer than that and record it. Wait at least another 10 minutes or so before playing it back so you'll be objective. See if you can pick up some of this "flatness" or irregularities on your own. Keep in mind that your voice will sound differently than what you're used to and that's normal, but can you pick up anything else? If you can and you believe it's a concern, it may be time to broach the parents about it.

[Ultra Darkness]

Originally Posted by Maranara

Another thought. Think of a subject you can randomly talk about for two or three minutes, or ask your brother to talk with you for perhaps slightly longer than that and record it. Wait at least another 10 minutes or so before playing it back so you'll be objective. See if you can pick up some of this "flatness" or irregularities on your own. Keep in mind that your voice will sound differently than what you're used to and that's normal, but can you pick up anything else? If you can and you believe it's a concern, it may be time to broach the parents about it.

The only recording device I have is on my 3DS, and it only records ten second snippets, but I made do.

I tried recording myself singing, because it requires you to vary pitch and inflection. But it sounded fairly flat when played back. The same thing happened with spoken sentences. I can't record anything long enough to see what I sound like in real conversation, but it seems like if your singing is flat, then you're either tone-deaf (I'm not), or something's wrong.

[yellowfrog268]

I know that certain medications can have this side effect both new rx's and one's you may have been on for a while.

Funny, I also have pauses sometimes. Necessary to formulate a response in my head that makes sense.

One other possibility, have you had your hearing checked lately?

Some of what you are describing could also be attributed to hearing loss or problems within the ear even something as simple as wax that has traveled deep into the ear.

Keep us posted.

[Ultra Darkness]

Originally Posted by yellowfrog268

I know that certain medications can have this side effect both new rx's and one's you may have been on for a while.

Funny, I also have pauses sometimes. Necessary to formulate a response in my head that makes sense.

One other possibility, have you had your hearing checked lately?

Some of what you are describing could also be attributed to hearing loss or problems within the ear even something as simple as wax that has traveled deep into the ear.

Keep us posted.

I'm not on medication, and I've never had my hearing checked. I know for a fact that I can hear on a higher pitch than my parents, because I could here an electronic device peeping, and it sounded like a sonic peep.
When it comes to hearing, I'm more concerned by the things that aren't there, because I have also proved to myself that I have audio hallucinations.

Plus, I've been told that I speak quietly, even when it sounded like normal volume to me. So I think my ears are fine, until my brain messes with them.

[Love/Hate09]

You communicate beautifully through your poetry. You're obviously very intelligent and very eloquent, verbal communication can be the hardest thing of all when your MH is not at it's best so i wouldn't worry unduly.

[greentires4me]

I have the same thing happens to me everyone I consider them not trying to hear me in my proper tone they say I am speaking softly but to me I consider that normal and when I up my volume it feels like I am screaming at them but they are like thats better...maybe they are all deaf and mentally retarded or something...

[beautifulfreak]

verbal communication can be the hardest thing of all when your MH is not at it's best so i wouldn't worry unduly.[/QUOTE]

It's like that for me too…I find it very hard to speak to others…especially when distressed. Not great on the non-verbal either though!

[Fuzzybear]

[Love/Hate09]

Originally Posted by beautifulfreak

verbal communication can be the hardest thing of all when your MH is not at it's best so i wouldn't worry unduly.

It's like that for me too…I find it very hard to speak to others…especially when distressed. Not great on the non-verbal either though![/quote]

Don't talk yourself down, i joined PC in Feb and i've got sixty something posts so far, you joinded the month after me and you have three hundred and sixty something posts. Like UD you may feel you're not doing that well with communication but you're doing much better than you give yourself credit for.

[BrokenNBeautiful]

I think, in my case, it's because my thoughts are running soooo fast that I cant' keep up with them, so when I speak, my words sound like there is a row of dots between them, like this: "love you...know what...my mother..." (just an example). And I am not sure I understand it either, what I am saying. Once I taped myself and I sounded so scattered and disjointed.

thanks; not sure this helped. Just relating my own experience. And it does irritate ppl when I do t his.

Carol

[Love/Hate09]

Originally Posted by BrokenNBeautiful

I think, in my case, it's because my thoughts are running soooo fast that I cant' keep up with them, so when I speak, my words sound like there is a row of dots between them, like this: "love you...know what...my mother..." (just an example). And I am not sure I understand it either, what I am saying. Once I taped myself and I sounded so scattered and disjointed.

thanks; not sure this helped. Just relating my own experience. And it does irritate ppl when I do t his.

Carol

There's nothing worse than recording ourselves and then listening back to it, we never sound how we imagine we are going to sound in real life. I hate the way i sound when i listen to my voice recorded.

I just think it's probably natural to struggle with communiction when we are struggling with our MH, our communication comes from our mind and when our mind is disturbed our communication will be too. I really struggle to write a coherent sentence and even after i've reread it three times there's still loads of mistakes in it.