The Benefits of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
April 10, 2018Treating Co-Occurring Disorders
April 13, 2018What Are Thought Disorders and Can They Be Treated?
What are thought disorders? Like many other mental illnesses, the public may have heard of these disorders but know little about them. This lack of understanding has contributed to exaggerations, misconceptions, and stigma surrounding these conditions. Understanding the causes, symptoms, and treatment options for thought disorders is crucial for anyone with one or more of these diagnoses, but also for their loved ones.
What Is a Thought Disorder?
Also referred to as thinking disorders or thought disturbances, thought disorders refer to a group of mental health conditions that affect the way individuals think, communicate, and express themselves. A thought disorder can significantly impact a person’s daily life, relationships, and overall well-being.
They occur when patterns of thinking or perception are altered or distorted, resulting in disorganized or unclear speech. This disconnect causes the individual to perceive reality incorrectly. Additionally, while thought disorders can occur as a primary condition, they can also be a symptom of an underlying mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or depression.
The exact causes of thought disorders are not fully understood, but research does suggest that genetics, brain chemistry, and environmental factors can contribute to symptoms. These disorders can range in severity from mild to severe and can significantly impact the individual’s ability to function on a day-to-day basis. Therefore, it’s important for those showing any signs of thought disorder to seek out professional mental health treatment.
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Common Examples of Thought Disorders
As providers of dual diagnosis treatment, we come across people with various mental health problems as well as addiction issues. Thought disorder first appeared in scientific literature around the 1980s, when it was initially described as a symptom of schizophrenia. Each type of thought disorder has unique symptoms. While it is common for individuals to display some of the symptoms of thought disorder occasionally, thought disorder is not classified until it negatively affects the person's ability to communicate.
Here are some common examples and types of thought disorders:
- Alogia: Also known as poverty of thought, this thought disorder is characterized by brief and unelaborated responses to questions. People with this type of thought disorder rarely speak unless prompted, and it is often seen in individuals with dementia or schizophrenia.
- Blocking: When a person seems unable to complete their thought because of constant pauses, they are likely experiencing blocking.
- Circumstantiality and tangentiality: The circumstantial type of speech is superfluous and roundabout. The speaker will go off on irrelevant tangents before coming back to the main point of the story. Tangential thinking involves abrupt changes in subject matter that are unrelated to the initial topic.
- Clanging or clang association: A person with a clanging thought process makes word choices based on the sound of the word rather than the meaning of the word. They may rely on using rhymes, alliterations, or puns and create sentences that do not make sense. A clanging thought process is a common symptom of mania in bipolar disorder.
- Concrete thinking: Individuals with this thought disorder struggle with abstract reasoning and instead rely heavily on literal and concrete interpretations of information. This is often seen in conditions like autism spectrum disorder.
- Delusional thinking: Individuals who experience delusional thought disorders hold false beliefs that are resistant to reasoning or evidence disproving them. These beliefs can range from paranoid delusions (belief in being chased or persecuted) to grandiose delusions (exaggerated sense of self-importance).
- Disorganized thinking (formal thought disorder, or FTD): Also referred to as disordered thinking and disorganized thought process, disorganized thinking occurs in individuals with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder, where individuals display disjointed, illogical, and incoherent thinking. Typical disorganized thinking examples and symptoms include tangentiality (deviating off-topic), derailment (loose associations), and thought blocking (sudden interruption of thought process).
- Echolalia and echopraxia: People experiencing echolalia repeat other people’s words or phrases, while individuals with echopraxia mimic the movements and gestures of others.
- Flight of ideas: Common in bipolar disorder, flight of ideas refers to a rapid and continuous flow of thoughts that are loosely connected, making it difficult for the individual to maintain a coherent conversation.
- Incoherence: Also referred to as “word salad” and incoherent thought process, this disorganized thinking example affects the order of words and semantics, making it difficult for the individual to create consistent speech.
- Neologism: Also referred to as neologism thought process, a person who struggles with neologism will often create new words or expressions when they talk.
- Perseveration thought process: Also referred to as preservative thought process, this type of thought disorder refers to the repetition of words or topics excessively and obsessively.
- Pressure of speech: A person with pressure of speech problems will speak at a faster rate and often in a higher volume. It can be difficult to get a word in with this person.
- Thought broadcasting: Also associated with schizophrenia, this thought disorder example involves the conviction that one’s thoughts are being broadcasted aloud so people around can hear the thoughts.
- Thought insertion and withdrawal: Common in individuals with schizophrenia, these involve the belief that thoughts are being embedded into one's mind (insertion) or forcibly removed from one's mind (withdrawal) by external forces or entities.
- Word approximations: This thought disorder refers to the abnormal and incorrect use of words in the middle of sentences.
Understanding these various types of thought disorders is essential for mental health professionals working in treatment facilities, as it enables individualized assessment, diagnosis, and interventions to address the specific cognitive disturbances exhibited by clients. If your loved one is exhibiting signs of a mental health disorder, our residential and PHP facilities for mental health can help.
Common Thought Disorder Symptoms
Individuals with thought disorders typically experience disruption in their thought patterns, which can affect their concentration, memory, and problem-solving skills. They may also struggle with communicating their ideas effectively, which can make it difficult for others to understand them.
Thought disorder symptoms may also vary depending on the specific conditions and the severity of the illness. For instance, an individual with bipolar disorder experiencing thought disorder may exhibit different symptoms from someone with schizophrenia.
Other common characteristics of a thought disorder can include:
- Auditory, tactile, or visual hallucinations
- Detachment from social situations
- Distress
- Mental health problems like depression
- Poor judgment
- Rapid speech with no pauses (pressure of speech)
- Repetition of ideas or words, similar to preservation
- Rocking movements or frequent twitches
- Speech that makes no sense at all (word salad)
- Substance abuse
- Unusual energy levels
It's important to note that experiencing a thought disorder doesn’t necessarily mean a person has a mental illness. Many people experience disruptions in their thought patterns at some point in their lives. However, when these disruptions become persistent or severe enough to disrupt the person’s ability to function daily, they may be struggling with a thought disorder that requires professional attention.
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Thought Disorder Treatment at Banyan
Although patients may experience some intense and disturbing symptoms, thought disorders can be treated. Medications, therapy, and other therapeutic approaches may help. Our residential mental health treatment is a form of care in which patients live at our facility, where they receive 24-hour care and support as they learn how to cope with their symptoms.
We also employ a multitude of techniques for treating thought disorders, including:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy
- Group Therapy
- Reality Therapy
- Solution Focused Therapy
Our licensed therapists combine the best therapeutic approaches for everyone to aid in recovery. Thinking disorders are often challenging to overcome, but our team of experts provides evidence-based approaches to help address and overcome these challenges.
For more information about our thought disorder treatment or other kinds of adult mental health services, call Banyan Treatment Centers today at (877) 360-1639 or send us your contact information, and we’ll reach out to you as soon as possible.
Sources:
- Healthline https://www.healthline.com/health/thought-disorder#What-is-formal-thought-disorder?
- Psych Central https://psychcentral.com/disorders/thought-disorder#signs
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