How Disordered Thinking Presents
Patterns of thought disturbance vary widely. A careful clinician listens for the shape of speech, not just its content.
- Tangentiality, answers drift away from the question
- Circumstantiality, long detours before reaching the point
- Loose associations, connections between ideas that are hard to follow
- Thought blocking, sudden stops mid-sentence
- Neologisms, invented words or unusual word use
- Perseveration, getting stuck on a single idea or phrase



