Should I see my doctor as I think Im getting a speech impediment ?

January 8, 2016 8:59 PM

Im not sure whether I have one or not but due to when im really stressed, I seem to not say complete small sentences, my accent slightly changes and Ive been getting my words mixed up(saying the same letter words but not the right word like instead of saying malfunction i might say misfunction or something)

Ive caught myself saying I.e instead of saying' I took the cap off the milk' - Id say 'I took the cap of milk' I know ive been real stressed but I dont believe I should do nothing about this its getting worse by the day and its embarrassing me. Its like in the moment when Im feeling stressed and I speak funny my brain goes into overdrive and the words get mumbled. Just to clarify its not tourettes nor do I stutter and this is only sometimes when real tense.

posted by re to Health & Fitness (14 answers total)

Well it is a worry if you are young, if you are older, start breathing more and don't forget to strap yourself into the ride. But if you are taking in too much caffeine, and not enough water, or living on energy drinks you can really overly stimulate your nervous system, and wring yourself out. Multitasking is natural but there are way too many twists and turns, and useless distractions now.

Look up the ten superfoods, make sure you get some. Buy some vitamin B-12 it is supposedly good for shoring up nervous function. Remember to breathe, consciously when you are stressing out so you give yourself enough air, while taking charge of some autonomous nervous function and making it conscious, mindful. Slow down if your words are failing. Before you see someone, take some measures to unstress. What you are describing is a symptom of not giving your self space to function. Regardless of medical findings you have to slow down until you can be your normal self. Declutter your calendar. Make sure to get 8-9 hours of sleep at least three days a week. Make a promise to yourself to do the sleep gift, it is a delicious, well deserved perk.
posted by Oyéah at 9:27 PM on January 8, 2016

Best answer: Make an appointment, but not an urgent one. While you're waiting for an appointment, keep a diary of how you slept, what you ate and drank, and how your stress is, plus your symptoms. If it's obvious from the diary that you drink too much coffee or something, then that's information you can give to the doctor. If it's not, then it's a starting place for the appointment.
posted by blnkfrnk at 9:47 PM on January 8, 2016 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: great advice thank you both
posted by re at 9:51 PM on January 8, 2016

It may be Helmet Fire
posted by fullerine at 10:15 PM on January 8, 2016 [5 favorites]

Definitely see a doctor if only just for peace of mind, but this is pretty common with stress/anxiety and I don't think you should be too worried about it. When I was working a high-stress job where I frequently felt ill prepared, I developed a full-on stutter in addition to the symptoms you mention.
posted by Pizzarina Sbarro at 10:41 PM on January 8, 2016 [1 favorite]

Before seeking medical advice, I would think about whether this is a symptom of stress (i.e it only happens when you're in a stressful situation or feeling really stressed), or whether it happens all the time, even when you're not in a stressful situation, and therefore may need investigating further. The answer to that question will help your doctor decide whether to focus on stress management or whether to order brain scans or prescribe medication (or whatever they do - IANAD).
posted by finding.perdita at 12:50 AM on January 9, 2016 [1 favorite]

I jumble words when I'm nervous. It may not be the same phenomenon you're describing.
posted by persona au gratin at 3:10 AM on January 9, 2016

I have food allergies, and this is exactly what happens to me when I consume dairy products. So, something you might want to check for.
posted by MexicanYenta at 6:44 AM on January 9, 2016

I frequently get word salad and non-verbal episodes when stressed; the more stress the worse it is. (I'm autistic and this is fairly common for folks on the spectrum regardless of how "functional" we are in other areas.)
posted by buteo at 10:29 AM on January 9, 2016

If this is a new symptom, I'd suggest seeing a doctor sooner rather than later. You are probably right that it is just stress, but you'll be glad you checked.
posted by tel3path at 11:05 AM on January 9, 2016

I'm not trying to be a grammar Nazi or make you extra worried, but I noticed you're consistently misusing some common contractions. You're saying Im, for example, when you mean I'm. If this is something you'd normally do then that's obviously nothing medical and you don't need to worry about it, but if you would normally say I'm and now you're saying Im and you just haven't noticed it, that seems like something you should be aware of and possibly something connected to whatever else is going on here.

I make the kinds of mistakes you describe in my writing, but not my speaking. It's relatively new, and I blame it on one of the medicines I'm taking. (Other people report the same side effect, and it seems to go away when I go off the medicine.) Are you taking any medications regularly? Even if you've been taking something a long time, a new side effect can develop.

I'm guessing it's just a stress thing, but that's only a guess.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 10:57 PM on January 9, 2016

I could have written this question: I do something very, very similar. When I was a practicing attorney, I'd do this in court; I stopped practicing in the courtroom setting because of it.

Now, I still get it when talking to my boss (she's a micro-manager with OCD and judges every mistake, including minor typos, very, very harshly). I constantly stumble over words, say the wrong word, miss words, ...I'm a mess. Fortunately, it only happens with my boss.

For me, and I hope for you, it isn't a medical thing; it's anxiety/a reaction to stress (which, yes, anxiety can be a medical thing in that it involves brain chemistry). I now have a prescription for Lexapro (brand new prescription) that I hope will reduce the anxiety I have based around work. Maybe that'll untie my tongue.

Otherwise, the only thing I've found that helps is to stop and breath - which is not easy when my boss is staring at me like I'm an idiot.
posted by LOLAttorney2009 at 12:30 AM on January 10, 2016 [1 favorite]

Are you getting enough sleep?
posted by Jacqueline at 3:29 AM on January 10, 2016

Okay, look. I am going to be alarmist now. It's very unlikely that this is the case for you, so I want you to keep my alarmism in perspective.

However, this kind of small language mistake was the first outward sign of my father's brain tumour. I know it's irresponsible to scare the pants off somebody for nothing, but because I've had this experience I find it hard not to come out with this warning when someone describes something that reminds me of that and everybody else is agreeing "yeah, it's probably nothing".

I mean it probably is nothing. But there's an outside chance that it's not nothing, so please get it checked out even if only to humour me.
posted by tel3path at 3:41 AM on January 10, 2016