I remember reading once that some of the symptoms of schizophrenia are caused by something similar. I may have made that up.

"I also have a major problem with making out one person's speech amongst the general hubbub of lots of other people speaking."

This is called presbycusis.

My assistant, Dr. Google, will explain.

That would effect music too though.

Looking at this definition, presbycusis is definitely not what I have. I'm convinced it's a psychological rather than an aural thing, because it has nothing to do with volume or clarity of sound — quite the opposite, in fact: sounds that, according to the article I linked to, I'm supposed to automatically filter out, are all too loud and clear to me.

According to what I've read, inability to distinguish a conversation from the background noise in a bar or party is a classic symptom of age-related hearing loss. But of course ianad.

> inability to distinguish a conversation from the background noise in a bar or party is a classic symptom of age-related hearing loss.

Of course it is, but it's also a symptom of other things. You shouldn't diagnose on the basis of just one symptom, or you'll be telling alcoholics they've got Alzheimer's.

I may have Alzheimer's, but at least I don't have Alzheimer's.

RE: the ignoring stuff and schizophrenia link. Yuppers, psychologists call this "latent inhibition," which is the ability to unconsciously ignore something that your sensory system has judged to be irrelevant. Latent inhibition is also how some psychologists explain the whole creativity-schizophrenia spectrum...because people who don't ignore things as readily are "open" to more experiences and stimulation (hence creative) even if it eventually drives them crazy with the over-stimulation (and hence schizophrenic). It fits in well with epidemiological research showing that highly creative people are often related to those with schizophrenia.

I'll stick with the "highly creative" label, I think.

Which one of you is sticking with that label?

I'm glad that someone else had read that and it wasn't just the voices telling me stuff again.

Ah, schizophrenia: the joke that just keeps on giving.