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 chattering about specific topics, you could have a mental health condition.

Talking too much, also known as compulsive talking or oversharing, is exactly what it sounds like. It involves talking for long periods without letting another person speak, rambling about special interests, or interrupting someone to express their thoughts.

A person who talks too much could be particularly sociable, but experts told DailyMail.com it can be a sign of certain mental health conditions such as anxiety, ADHD and autism, which are being diagnosed at a record rate.

Dr Carolyn Rubenstein, a licensed therapist in Florida, told DailyMail.com: ‘It’s not a two-way 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 appear or their interest.’

“Many people aren’t even aware that they’re talking too much, and once they realize it, it’s a big wake-up moment.”

While talking too much alone is not an indication of a mental health condition, here are four that can cause you to overdo it.

Autism

Although talking too much alone does not automatically make someone autistic, it is a behavior that autistic people can display.

About one in 36 children in the U.S. has autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with developmental disabilities.

People with ASD often have problems with communication and social 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 detect, as the average age of diagnosis is around five years old in the US. And in recent years, more and more adults have been diagnosed with the condition.

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

Although talking too much alone does not automatically make someone autistic, it is a behavior that autistic people can display.

‘(Autism) is more of a social communication disorder. The important thing is to recognize the need to pause, cut and follow eye contact, all the non-verbal cues that are part of communication,” said Dr. Rubenstein.

ADHD

People with ADHD may be continually restless, unable to focus on a given task, talk excessively, interrupt others, and become easily distracted, among other symptoms.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common disorder that is typically diagnosed in childhood, but recent years have seen an increase in diagnoses in adults.

The main symptoms of ADHD, which usually appear before the age of 12, include inattention and hyperactive-impulsive behavior. People with ADHD may be continually restless, unable to focus on a given task, talk excessively, interrupt others, and become easily distracted, among other symptoms.

‘Usually with ADHD, there is a tendency to have impulsivity with reduced inhibition. You could say, for example, whatever comes to mind unfiltered, so that you have thoughts that come to mind and you just let them escape and don’t think. You just say what comes to mind,” Dr. Rubenstein said.

Although this is often seen in children who find it difficult to wait their turn to speak in classrooms, it can also be seen in adults with ADHD. For example, an adult might feel impatient and not wait for the other person to stop talking. They may continue talking even though others have lost interest or forgotten to pause or take a breath.

‘With ADHD, there is a tendency to need stimulation, and talking creates stimulation. “There are many other aspects that can be lost because you become overwhelmed by the stimuli you focus on,” said Dr. Rubenstein.

Medications like Adderall can help people with ADHD focus and avoid talking too much.

Anxiety

It is a common misconception that all people with social anxiety are quiet or have difficulty starting a conversation.

However, Dr. Rubenstein said that talking too much is a common feature of the condition.

‘Many times, there is a tendency to have a lot of anxiety related to silence. People will speak to avoid silence. “That nervous energy really dissipates by talking.”

‘A hallmark (of anxiety) is having racing thoughts. You have those thoughts racing and then they come back like you’re talking too much.

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

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

Bipolar disorder

BPD can cause rapid or erratic speech that often does not make sense. This is known as pressured speech, which occurs when someone thinks so fast that they can’t say the words fast enough.

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

People with bipolar disorder, which affects seven million Americans, experience swings that can’t be resolved by making small changes, such as sleeping more or going for a walk.

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

They may also be more active than usual, talk very quickly, be very friendly with others, act 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 things they normally enjoy, and suicidal.

They may act 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 things that bother them.

Patients with bipolar I disorder have a history of at least one manic episode, along with 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 does not make sense. This is known as pressured speech, which occurs when someone thinks so fast that they can’t say the words fast enough.

‘The speech is fast. “This will be seen during a manic episode,” Dr. Rubenstein said.