21 Examples Of Thought Psychopathology (explained)
Schizophrenia is the mental disorder in which different examples of thought psychopathology most often occur, which is why they are strongly associated with each other. These psychopathologies can also occur in depressive and bipolar disorders.
Detecting this type of mental disorders is not easy in many cases, and the best way to assess the psychopathology of thought in patients is through their speech, given that when a case of this type occurs, it is by having a conversation. with the subject when a disorganization can be seen in his or her thinking and this disorganization can present itself in many ways.
In this article Some examples of the psychopathology of thought will be briefly explained.classified into several categories.
First of all, it is important to distinguish between formal psychopathologies, of the structure or course of thought, and psychopathologies of the content of thought. We will start by talking about the first of these categories.
1. Examples of psychopathologies of the course of thought
This is a group of thought psychopathology disorders related to reasoning.which are based on limitations of logical reasoning and problem solving, being explained as disorganized thinking.
It is also common for this type of disorder to be related to speech disorders, characterized by disorganized speech. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the way in which that person expresses himself through language.
Below we will see the most common examples that can be found within this category.
1.1. Derailment
This psychopathology of thought, also called “loss of associations” or “flight of ideas”, consists of a way of communicating verbally through jumbled ideas, so there is no cohesion in what is saideven though each separate phrase is well constructed, but when said in the same speech they do not agree with each other.
1.2. speech pressure
Also known as “logger”, it is a psychopathology that causes the subject to begin speaking spontaneous phrases without stopping and at high speed, making it not easy to intervene in the conversation. It may be the case that you start a new sentence before you have finished saying the previous one.
It is a way of speaking using phrases without correct syntax, because words are put together at random, so that it is difficult to understand what they are saying.
1.4. Loss of goal
In this psychopathology of thought, the subject tries to explain something, starting to talk about a certain topic and, in the middle of the speech, changes the subject without finishing his previous explanationso he cannot reach a conclusion.
1.5. Illogicality
It occurs when the subject begins to talk about a specific topic and ends with a conclusion that has no logical relationship with the previous topic.
1.6. Tangentiality
It occurs when when asking the patient about a specific topic, answers with oblique answers that have little or even no relation to the question.
1.7. Perseveration
throughout a conversation the person repeatedly repeats words or ideasso that, out of the blue, he expresses them again.
1.8. Distracted speech
It is a divergent discourse in which the person suddenly changes the topic or interrupts his speech when faced with any stimulus in the environment.
1.9. Circumstantiality
It is a psychopathology of thought in which the patient, When you try to express something about a certain topic, you give too much detail which may even have zero relevance with respect to that topic.
1.10. Resonances
The patient’s speech It is made up of words that are phonetically associated (rhymes)instead of stringing together words in their sentences that give meaning to what they are trying to explain, potentially expressing a speech that is difficult to understand.
Word approximation, metonymy or paraphasia This is the use of words in a way that is not conventional or pseudowords are created but following the language’s own rules to form words, this being a very rare disorder.
1.11. Neologism
The subject gives a different meaning to the words or even comes to invent non-existent words. It is also a disorder that occurs very rarely.
1.12. Echolalia
In this case the subject repeat words in echo form or phrases that the person who is talking to him has just said.
It’s about the tendency that the patient has to relate the topics that are being talked about to himselfeven if they are about topics that have no relation to it or are simply neutral.
1.14. Affected speech, emphatic speech or elation
The patient tends to use language that is excessively cultured, pedantic or pompous, in some cases being out of context, so they are not appropriate at that precise moment.
1.15. Poverty of speech or laconicism
The patient barely speaks spontaneously and when askedtends to respond with monosyllables or very briefly.
1.16. Poverty of the content of spoken language or thought
It can also be called “empty speech.” In these cases the subject takes longer than normal to answer a question and, furthermore, responds with a poorly elaborated speech that conveys very little information.
In some cases you can respond with the correct information but, to do so, you exceed too much in the number of words you use, when the normal thing would be to be able to explain it in a more brief and concise way.
1.17. Blocking
This happens when the subject suddenly stops talking while expressing something, so I couldn’t finish and even You may forget the topic you were talking about..
2. Examples of psychopathologies of thought content
These are psychopathologies of thought that can be detected through the content of the words they express based on their thoughts and ideas; Therefore, you have to look at what the beliefs and thoughts underlying your speech are about.
Below we will see some examples of disorders related to the content of thought.
2.1. Negative thoughts that repeat
Is about annoying thoughts, which appear frequently, are difficult to control and are negative in nature. Furthermore, these types of thoughts are not useful for solving problems, and can become exhausting because they consume a lot of attention on the part of the subject who suffers from them, which is why they negatively interfere with their daily activities.
These types of thoughts can be suffered by people without any psychopathology, but with a lower frequency and they are also more controllable in these cases.
Related article: “Rumination: the annoying vicious circle of thought”
In this case they are convictions that dominate the ordinary flow of thought of the individual, being also in accordance with his values and his personalitywho are emotionally overwhelmed and, therefore, tend to burden the individual with worries in such a way that they can come to dominate their life.
These ideas are considered a psychopathology of thought because they dominate the flow of the individual’s habitual thoughts. However, it is worth noting that They are not easy to detect because the content of these ideas is usually socially accurate. and these people usually behave in accordance with their way of thinking, even though this causes discomfort because they always worry about meeting high expectations.
23. Automatic ideation
This thought psychopathology consists of repetitive thoughts about how the subject could cause wounds or physical injuries, even reaching the point of having suicidal ideas. These ideas constantly change since they are associated with negative states that the subject experiences at certain times.such as sadness, anger, guilt, etc.
Special attention must be paid to these types of ideas, even if the subject has not attempted suicide or has not even thought about how to carry it out. Even if he has expressed the fact that he has ideas of this nature, this case must be spatially evaluated and the subject immediately provided with the necessary psychological help.
You may be interested: “Delusions: what they are, types and differences from hallucinations”
2. Dysfunctional beliefs
Having distorted or dysfunctional beliefs is a psychopathology of thought that It is based on assessments or assumptions that the patient assumes are completely trueso they cause biases in him when processing new information with a negative and unproductive nature.
