THINKING
Is the mental activity for problem solving.
Disorders
A: Disorders of form of thinking
1- Loosening of
Associations: Lack of
logic connection between thoughts.
2- Incoherence:Severe degree of loss of association ,words run together with no logical or
grammatical connection.
3- Word salad: severe incoherence
4- Verbegration: Meaningless repetition of specific words.
5- Thought
Perseveration: Repeating
the same sequence of thoughts persistently and inappropriately.
6- Neologism: New words invented by the patient
7- Clang association:Association of words similar in sound ,not in meaning.
B: Disorders of stream of thinking
1-Flight of ideas:
Rapid continuous flow of thoughts and speech. Shifting from one idea to another & doesn't reach central goal (typically in mania)
2 - Circumstantiality:
Thinks & speaks slowly with frequent shifts to side issues & finally reaches central goal.
3- Blocking: Sudden arrest of train of thinking.
4-Poverty of
Thoughts:Few,
slow, unvaried thoughts associated with poverty of speech.
5-Pressure of
Thoughts: Rapid
abundant varying thoughts associated with pressure of speech and flight of
ideas.
6-Thought Block: Sudden cessation of thought
flow with complete emptying of the mind, not caused by an external influence.
C: Disorders of content of thinking
1. Delusions.
- Unshakable false beliefs
out of keeping with the person‟s cultural background, not arrived at through
logic thinking and not amenable to reasoning
Types of delusions:
- Delusion of persecution :False belief that one is being persecuted.(cheated, mistreated, harassed, etc.)
- Delusion of grandeur: False belief of exaggerated one's importance.
- Delusion of reference:False belief that the behavior of others refer to the patient.
- Delusion of guilt: False belief that one is sinful or guilty.
- Nihilist delusion: False belief that self or others or part of
the body doesn't exist.
- Somatic delusion: False belief involving function of the body
- Hypochondria delusion:False belief against all medical evidence that one is suffering from a disease.
-Delusion of infidelity: False belief that one's lover is
unfaithful.
- Delusion of love:False
belief that someone is deeply in love with the patient.
- Delusion of influence and control: False belief that person's
thoughts, feeling &will are being controlled by external forces.
- Delusion of the possession of thoughts
a- Thought insertion: Thoughts being implanted in one's mind.
b-Thought
withdrawal: Thoughts being removed from one's mind
c- Thought broadcasting:One's thoughts can be heard by others.as they are broadcast over the air, radio or some other unusual
way
2. Obsessions: Repetitive ideas, images, feelings or urges insistently entering
person mind despite resistance. They are unwanted, distressful and recognized
as senseless and irrational. Obsessions are frequently followed by compelling
actions (compulsions)
Compulsions : if the thoughts urges the patient to perform
a certain act.
3.Overvalued
Ideas: Strongly
held false ideas but shakable (e.g. personal conviction that vitiligo is a
contagious disease)
