thought disorder

American  

noun

Psychiatry.

1. disorganized speech, as flight of ideas or loosening of associations, thought to reflect disorganized thinking and occurring as a symptom of some types of mental illness, as manic disorder or schizophrenia.

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thought disorder British  

noun

1. psychiatry a cognitive disorder in which the patient's thoughts or conversations are characterized by irrationality or sudden changes of subject

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Example Sentences

"His delusionary beliefs, auditory hallucinations, as well as psychotic thought disorder have greatly contributed to his offending behaviour," the judge said during the sentence hearing.

From Reuters • Nov. 4, 2022

Inside, a mother was watching nervously over her son, a Black man with a severe thought disorder, who was staring vacantly at the walls.

From Washington Post • Jun. 16, 2021

Such behavior is the sign of what’s called a thought disorder.

From Salon • Nov. 13, 2018

The grandiosity, the loose associations, the jumbled flow suggest a thought disorder.

From Scientific American • Mar. 4, 2011

Some mental health experts, however, said that while they could not make a diagnosis, the behavior was consistent with a psychotic or "thought" disorder.

From Washington Post • Jan. 11, 2011