Are YOU a chatterbox? Overtalking may be early warning sign of four serious mental health conditions

If you constantly get in trouble for talking or rambling on about specific topics, you may have a mental illness.

Talking too much, also called compulsive talking or oversharing, is exactly what it sounds like. It involves talking for long periods of time without letting anyone else speak, talking about special interests, or interrupting someone to get at your thoughts.

An overtalker could be particularly gregarious, but experts told DailyMail.com this could be a sign of certain mental health conditions such as anxiety, ADHD and autism, all of which are being diagnosed at record rates.

Dr. Carolyn Rubenstein, a licensed therapist in Florida, told DailyMail.com, “It’s not a bidirectional conversation. It’s more of a monologue. You’re talking to someone else, but you’re not allowing the other person to contribute to the conversation, so you’re not as aware of their desire to come in or their interest.”

“A lot of people aren’t even aware that they’re talking too much, and once they know, it’s a huge wake-up moment.”

While overtalking in itself is not an indication of a mental illness, below are four that can cause excessive talking.

Autism

About one in 36 children in the US has the developmental disorder autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

People with ASD often have problems with social communication and interaction, as well as restricted or repetitive behaviors and interests.

The rate is higher among boys (four in 100) compared to girls (one in 100). However, autism is notoriously difficult to recognize, as the average age of diagnosis in the US is around five years old. And in recent years, more and more adults have been diagnosed with it.

There is no definitive cause of autism, and research suggests that the disorder arises from a combination of genetic and environmental influences that affect early brain development.

Although excessive talking alone does not automatically make someone autistic, it is a behavior that autistic people can exhibit.

“(Autism) is more of a social communication disorder. Most importantly, we recognize the need to interrupt, cut off and monitor eye contact, all non-verbal cues that are part of communication,” said Dr. Rubenstein.

ADHD

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common condition usually diagnosed in childhood, but in recent years there has been an increase in the number of diagnoses in adults.

The main symptoms of ADHD, which typically manifest before the age of 12, include inattention and hyperactive-impulsive behavior. People with ADHD may, among other things, be constantly restless, unable to concentrate on a particular task, talk excessively, interrupt others, and be easily distracted.

‘Usually with ADHD there is a tendency towards impulsivity with reduced inhibition. For example, you could say whatever comes to mind without filtering, so you have thoughts that come to mind, and you just blurt them out and don’t think. You just say what comes to mind,” Dr. Rubenstein said.

Although this is most often seen in children who find it difficult to wait their turn to talk in class, it can be seen in adults with ADHD. For example, an adult may feel impatient and cannot wait for the other person to stop talking. They may keep talking even when others have lost interest or forgotten to pause or breathe.

‘With ADHD you tend to need stimulation, and talking creates stimulation. There are other aspects that can be lost because you are overwhelmed by the stimuli you are focusing on,” Dr. Rubenstein said.

Medications such as Adderall can help people with ADHD concentrate and avoid excessive talking.

Tension

It’s a common misconception that everyone with social anxiety is quiet or has trouble starting a conversation.

Dr. However, Rubenstein said over-talking is a common feature of the condition.

‘There is often a tendency to have a lot of fear associated with silence. People will talk to avoid facing silence. Talking really dissipates that nervous energy.”

‘A characteristic (of fear) is having racist thoughts. You have these racing thoughts, and then they come back as exaggerated.”

This also applies to generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), which involves excessive, persistent worry that interferes with daily life. GAD affects 6.8 million American adults, according to the Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA), but less than half receive treatment.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimates that one in five US adults has had an anxiety disorder in the past year,

Bipolar disorder

Bipolar disorder (BPD) is a mental illness that causes extreme mood swings ranging from depression to mania.

Those with bipolar disorder, which affects seven million Americans, suffer from fluctuations that cannot be resolved by making small changes such as sleeping more or taking a walk.

During a manic episode, patients may feel cheerful, uncontrollably excited, confident, easily distracted, and irritable.

They may also be more active than normal, talk very fast, be very friendly to others, behave inappropriately or out of character, and sleep very little.

Meanwhile, during a depressive episode, a bipolar patient may feel upset, tearful, agitated, tired, disinterested in the things they usually enjoy, and suicidal.

They may be withdrawn, have trouble sleeping or sleep too much, eat too much or too little, avoid contact with people, and spend a lot of time thinking about upsetting things.

Patients with bipolar I disorder have a history of at least one manic episode, in addition to depressive and manic episodes. In Bipolar II, the mood varies from high to low, but the outbursts are less intense than in Bipolar I.

Talking too much can be a sign of both subtypes.

This condition can cause rapid or erratic speech that often makes no sense. This is known as stressed speech, which occurs when someone thinks so quickly that they can’t get their words out fast enough.

‘The speech goes quickly. You’ll see that during a manic episode,” Dr. Rubenstein said.