What to do about distracting mental chatter?
mooneater: This might sound crazy.  I used to hear voices as well, and I thought I was losing my mind.In my experience, the voices were not random chatter.  They tell you where your mind is at.  Listen to them and get to know yourself.  Maybe try talking to them.  You may not be "broken", your mind may just work in a slightly different way.  Respect it.In my case the voices were paranoid.  As I worked on my self-esteem, they slowly transformed into positive voices, and then disappeared.See a doctor if you wish, but you might end up on drugs and not learning about yourself.Read Jungian writers for more on this perspective (Robert A. Johnson "Inner Work: Using Dreams and Active Imagination for Personal Growth" might be very relevant, the voices could be seen as different aspects of you).Of course I dont know your situation so please take this with salt.