21 examples of psychopathology of thought (explained)

Schizophrenia is the mental disorder in which the different examples of the psychopathology of thought are most often given, so they are strongly associated with each other. These psychopathologies can also occur in depressive and bipolar disorders.

Detecting this type of mental disorder is not easy in many cases, being the best way to assess psychopathology of thinking in patients is through their speech, since when a case of this type occurs, it is when having a conversation with the subject when a disorganization in his thinking can be appreciated and, said disorganization, can occur in many ways. ways.

In this article some examples of the psychopathology of thought will be briefly explained, classified into several categories.

• Related article: "The 8 higher psychological processes"

Examples of psychopathology of thought

First, 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

It is a group of disorders of the psychopathology of thought related to reasoning, which are based on limitations of logical reasoning and problem solving, being explained as disorganized thinking.

It is also common for these types of disorders to be related to speech disorders, characterized by disorganized speech. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the way that person expresses himself through language.

Next we will see the most common examples that can be found within this category.

1.1. Derailment

This psychopathology of thought, also known as "loss of associations" or "flight of ideas", consists of a way of communicating verbally through intermingled ideas, so there is no cohesion in what is said, despite the fact that each sentence is well constructed separately, but when said in the same speech they do not agree with each other.

1.2. Speech pressure

Also known by the name of "logrera", it is a psychopathology that causes the subject to begin to speak spontaneous phrases without stopping and at high speed, so it is not easy to intervene in the conversation. It may be the case that he begins a new sentence before having finished saying the previous one.

1.3. Incoherence, schizoafasia, or word salad

It is a way of speaking using sentences without a correct syntax, because words are randomly put together, so that it is difficult to understand what he is saying.

• You may be interested in: "Verbiage: characteristics and examples of this speech symptom"

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 explanation, so he cannot reach a conclusion.

1.5. Ilogicity

It occurs when the subject begins to speak about a specific topic and ends with a conclusion that has no logical relationship to the previous topic.

• Related article: "The 8 types of formal fallacies (and examples)"

1.6. Tangentiality

It occurs when when asking the patient about a specific topic, answers with oblique responses that have little or no relationship to the question.

1.7. Perseveration

Throughout a conversation the person repeatedly repeats words or ideas, so that, without coming to mind, he returns to express them.

1.8. Speak distracted

It is a divergent discourse in which the person suddenly changes the subject or interrupts his speech in the face of any stimulus from the environment.

1.9. Circumstantiality

It is a psychopathology of thought in which the patient, when she pretends to express something about a certain topic, she gives too much detail that may even have zero relevance with respect to that topic.

1.10. Resonances

The patient's speech consists of words that are phonetically associated (rhymes), instead of chaining words in their sentences that give meaning to what they intend to explain, being able to express a speech that is difficult to understand.

Approximation of words, metonymy or paraphasia. It is the use of words in a way that is not conventional or pseudowords are created but following the rules of the language to form words, this being a very little disorder frequent.

1.11. Neologism

The subject gives a different meaning to the words or even he comes to invent non-existent words. It is also a very rare disorder.

1.12. Echolalia

In this case the subject repeat in the form of echo words or phrases just said by the person who is talking to him.

• You may be interested in: "Echolalia: what is it, causes and related disorders"

1.13. Self-referral

It's about the tendency of the patient to relate the topics that are being discussed to his person, even if they are about topics that have nothing to do with him 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, being in some cases out of context, so they are not appropriate at that precise moment.

1.15. Poor speech or laconism

The patient hardly speaks spontaneously and when asked, he tends to respond in monosyllables or very briefly.

1.16. Poor content of spoken language or thought

It can also be referred to as "empty speech". In these cases, the subject takes longer than normal to answer a question and, in addition, responds with a little elaborate speech that conveys very little information.

In some cases, they may respond with the correct information, but for this they go too far in the number of words it uses, when it would be normal to be able to explain it in a shorter and more concise way.

1.17. Blocking

This happens when the subject suddenly stops speaking while he was expressing something, so he could not finish and even may forget what he was talking about.

• You may be interested in: "Psychotic Outbreak: definition, causes, symptoms and treatment"

2. Examples of Thought Content Psychopathologies

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.

We will see below some examples of disorders related to the content of thought.

2.1. Negative thoughts that recur

Is about annoying thoughts that appear frequently, difficult to control, and are negative in nature. In addition, these types of thoughts are not useful to solve problems, and can become exhausting because consume a lot of attention from the subject who suffers them, so they negatively interfere with their activities everyday.

These types of thoughts can be suffered by people without any psychopathology, but with a lower frequency and are also more controllable in these cases.

• Related article: "Rumination: the annoying vicious circle of thought"

2.2. Overrated ideas

In this case they are convictions that dominate the ordinary flow of thought of the individual, being also in accordance with their values ​​and personality, who are emotionally exceeded and, therefore, tend to burden the individual with worries in such a way that they can dominate his life.

These ideas are considered as a psychopathology of thought because they dominate the flow of habitual thoughts of the individual. However, it should be noted that they are not easy to detect because the content of these ideas is usually socially correct And these people tend to behave in accordance with their way of thinking, despite the fact that it causes them discomfort because they always worry about meeting high expectations.

23. Automatic ideation

This psychopathology of thought consists of repetitive thoughts about the way in which the subject could cause physical injuries or injuries, even reaching the point of having suicidal ideas. These ideas change constantly since they are associated with negative states that the subject experiences at certain times., such as sadness, anger, guilt, etc.

Before these types of ideas, special attention must be paid, even if the subject has not tried to commit suicide or has not even thought about how to carry it out. As long as he has expressed the fact that he has ideas of this nature, this case must be evaluated spatially and immediately provided to the subject with the necessary psychological help.

• You may be interested in: "Delusions: what are they, types and differences with 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 as totally true, so they cause biases in it when it comes to processing new information with a negative and unproductive character.