Thought_Disorders_Flashcards
What is circumstantiality in thought disorders?
Circumstantiality is the inability to answer a question without giving excessive, unnecessary detail.
How does circumstantiality differ from tangentiality?
Circumstantiality differs from tangentiality in that the person does eventually return to the original point.
What is tangentiality in thought disorders?
Tangentiality refers to wandering from a topic without returning to it.
What are neologisms?
Neologisms are new word formations, which might include the combining of two words.
What are clang associations?
Clang associations are when ideas are related to each other only by the fact they sound similar or rhyme.
What is word salad in thought disorders?
Word salad describes completely incoherent speech where real words are strung together into nonsense sentences.
What is Knight’s move thinking and in which condition is it a feature?
Knight’s move thinking is a severe type of loosening of associations, where there are unexpected and illogical leaps from one idea to another. It is a feature of schizophrenia.
What is flight of ideas and in which condition is it a feature?
Flight of ideas, a feature of mania, is a thought disorder where there are leaps from one topic to another but with discernible links between them.
What is perseveration in thought disorders?
Perseveration is the repetition of ideas or words despite an attempt to change the topic.
What is echolalia in thought disorders?
Echolalia is the repetition of someone else’s speech, including the question that was asked.
SUMMARISE THOUGHT DISORDERS
Thought disorders
Circumstantiality is the inability to answer a question without giving excessive, unnecessary detail. However, this differs from tangentiality in that the person does eventually return to the original point.
Tangentiality refers to wandering from a topic without returning to it.
Neologisms are new word formations, which might include the combining of two words.
Clang associations are when ideas are related to each other only by the fact they sound similar or rhyme.
Word salad describes completely incoherent speech where real words are strung together into nonsense sentences.
Knight’s move thinking is a severe type of loosening of associations, where there are unexpected and illogical leaps from one idea to another. It is a feature of schizophrenia.
Flight of ideas, a feature of mania, is a thought disorder where there are leaps from one topic to another but with discernible links between them.
Perseveration is the repetition of ideas or words despite an attempt to change the topic.
Echolalia is the repetition of someone else’s speech, including the question that was asked.
A mental state examination is performed on a 35-year-old patient. He is asked about what he has eaten today and he begins telling a story about what he ate for breakfast that morning, then talks about his favourite cooking shows on TV, then talks about a time he was interviewed on a news programme and then explains he had toast and jam for breakfast. He speaks at a normal rate and rhythm.
What thought form is this an example of?
Circumstantiality
Derailment of thoughts
Flight of ideas
Tangentiality
Thought block
Circumstantiality
Circumstantiality is the inability to answer a question without giving excessive, unnecessary detail
Circumstantiality is correct. The goal of the conversation is reached in the end by a circuitous route i.e. the patient does eventually answer the question but does so after giving unnecessary and excessive detail, which is a feature of circumstantiality.
Tangentiality or tangential thinking is incorrect. The patient does eventually return to the topic of conversation, which is not the case in tangentiality, which is characterised by patients wandering away from a topic without returning to it.
Derailment of thoughts is incorrect as it is where there are illogical and unexpected jumps from topic to topic without any discernible links between them, and failure to answer the question. These features are not seen here.
Flight of ideas is incorrect. It is similar to tangentiality, however, patients do answer the question and then proceed to jump to another related topic, then to another and so on. This patient does not answer the question and then move to another quickly, and the rate and rhythm of their speech are normal, making this less likely.
Thought block is incorrect as it is where the patient abruptly breaks off the conversation and is silent before resuming on a different topic.
You’re a medical student on your psychiatry placement. You are performing a mental state examination on one of the patients on the inpatient psychiatry ward, a 20-year-old man who was admitted 2 days ago.
Whenever you ask him a question, you notice that he repeats the question back to you. You notice that he is also repeating some of the phrases you use.
What form of thought disorder is this an example of?
Clang association
Echolalia
Neologism
Perseveration
Poverty of speech
Echolalia
Echolalia is the repetition of someone else’s speech including the questions being asked
Clang association is when someone uses words that rhyme with each other or sound similar.
Echolalia is the repetition of someone’s speech, which is what is seen in the above scenario.
Neologism is the formation of new words.
Perseveration is when ideas or words are repeated several times.
Poverty of speech is a restricted quantity of speech with brief responses to questions.
