What to do about distracting mental chatter?
pysch_skeptic: In contrast to what these others are suggesting, I think you should be somewhat reticent to approach a doctor about the situation.My take on what qualifies as a mental illness is this: If something is harming you to the extent that it is disrupting your ability to survive in society, it might be in your best interest to classify that thing as an illness and seek medical help.If, on the other hand, your brain functions in a way that is toward the end of the human bell curve but you're a functional member of society, take pride in your unique situation and learn to deal with the areas where you're rough around the edges.  So if you hear Abe Lincoln in your head telling you you're a swell guy every day and it doesn't affect you negatively, who cares?A couple other things to weight before you decide to classify yourself as having a mental illness:As some of the other posters have mentioned, there is a stigma associated with mental illness.I don't know what your health insurance situation is, but if you're self-insured in the US, having this kind of thing on your medical record can cause you significant grief.