Altered thought process Flashcards
When asked about their day, a person might describe every minor detail before finally mentioning the main event.
Circumstantiality
gets caught up in countless details before finally answering a question.
A person with memory loss might create an elaborate story to explain missing time, genuinely believing it to be true.
confabulation
filling a memory gap with detailed fantasy believed by the person
A person might rapidly talk about their job, then suddenly shift to discussing a movie, then jump to their plans for the weekend, all in a few seconds.
Flight of Ideas
constant flow of speech jumping rapidly from one topic to another
A person might say, “The weather is good today, I need to buy some socks, the dog barked yesterday,” with no logical connection between these ideas.
Looseness of Association
illogical and confused thinking with interrupted connections in thought
A person might use the word “flibberflop” to describe their mood, with no one else understanding the term.
Neologisms
made-up words that have meaning only to the individual
A person might be explaining something and then suddenly stop mid-sentence, staring blankly before abruptly talking about something else.
thought blocking
sudden cessation of a thought in the middle of a sentence
A person might say, “Apple sky bus running green twist,” with no logical connection or meaning in the sentence.
Word Salad
a mixture of words and phrases that has no coherent meaning
A person might hear voices or see things that are not actually there, believing them to be real.
impaired reality testing
inability to distinguish between what is real and what is not
A person might struggle to keep a conversation on track, jumping between unrelated thoughts without a clear narrative.
Fragmentation of Thoughts
breakdown of coherent thinking = disorganized + disconnected ideas
If someone says “How are you?” and the person with echolalia responds by simply repeating “How are you?” without meaning to answer the question
Echolalia
pathological repeating of another’s words
A person might believe that ordinary objects or people are spying on them or have special meanings.
Distorted Perception of the Environment
misinterpreting or having altered views of reality
A person might believe that thinking about winning the lottery will make it happen.
Magical thinking
belief that one’s thoughts words or actions can cause or prevent events
A person might struggle to follow a conversation or express their thoughts clearly.
Inability to Conceptualize Meaning in Words or Thoughts
difficulty understanding or making sense of words and ideas
When telling a story, a person might jump back and forth in time, mixing up events and making the story hard to follow.
Inability to Organize Facts Logically
disordered thinking where one can’t arrange thoughts in a logical order
A person might believe they are a famous historical figure despite clear evidence that this is not true.
Delusions
false beliefs that are firmly held despite evidence to the contrary