Over the past few years, I’ve been having trouble processing speech. I used to think it was due to bad hearing, but my hearing is fine.
I’ve come to realise somehow the sounds get mixed up in the progress.
I hear the sounds, but it’s like my brain doesn’t process them into understandable words properly.
Like dyslexia for sounds or something.
It also feels like my brain takes a long time to process speech, so my reaction time is slower and my concentration seems bad because of it.
Anyone else have those problems?
Anything I can do to improve it?
I had trouble speaking when I was on Risperdol and Invega. I hate it and switched to Amisulpride. The speech problem was gone after I quit Risperdol and Invega.
Before proper medication, I used to mishear people a LOT, or even sounds, I never had such a problem until I began going through psychosis. It’s crazy and pretty interesting how in some cases, the brain can misinterpret sounds when it’s sick…
I would have to ask people to repeat themselves, I still do from time to time because I want to make sure I didn’t mishear what they said. PEople used to give me weird looks when I would respond with something totally not what they asked.
That’s excactly the trouble I’m having! I have to ask people to repeat themselves or guess what they were trying to say based on the sounds, and if someone’s speech is a little slurred, it’s downright impossible.
@Cipher Yeah… I used to “mishear” people. What they said would fit into my psychosis nicely. At least I hope I misheard them! Otherwise they were reading my mind…
Its due to cognitive symptoms… i am sure its due to loss of white matter in the brain which coordinate information in our brain… talk to ur psydoc about it …!!!
From my point of view, This problems doesnt have to be permanent. The theory of lost of White matter in the brain is not totally solid. Cognitive impairments are real and very common in sz, but can vary over time and according to the medicartion you are taken. I think they are realted to the chemical alteration of neurotransmiters and they are a global problem, not just isolated.
As a positive point I will add I allways have sufered of focus and processing speech, with a lot of dificulties listening to a conversation in a group or listening TV and so on. But lately a feel better, probably because of my medication. So, dont worry this matter can change.
Its hard for me to understand whats going on in movies sometimes because words just get interpreted as this garbage mess. Which is sad cause i like movies. I can barely pay attention to people talking. Its like I’m not even there.
I find myself saying ‘pardon?’ more and more these days. Sometimes I have to ask someone to repeat what they said three, four times in a row. If I still don’t hear, I just kinda make a vague grunting noise so they think I understood. Pretty embarrassing.
Usually what happens as well is I ask ‘what?’ And then answer the question because it’s kind of delayed in my head. Like my mind doesn’t process it for a few seconds then I understand what was said.
Another thing I’ve been experiencing more is mid-sentence completely forgetting what I said. Like I have a thought formed in my mind and I’m explaining it then my head just goes blank. It’s weird as ■■■■.
On the harder days, if I am talking to someone I tend to watch their mouth so I can lip read. Hopefully no-one I have talked to has got the wrong idea There’s something about having a visual cue that helps me work out what is being said.
I have a harder time with radio. I used to often give up with music lyrics and tended to gravitate to songs with nice sounding voices or none at all. But then a lot of these are famously misinterpreted so I don’t feel too bad.
I’ve been watching movies and tv shows with subtitles for quite a while. It really does help me because I also can’t understand what people are saying and I usually get lost, then get uninterested because I don’t understand what happened.
There’s something about having a visual cue that helps me work out what is being said.