What is a thought disorder?

Also known as psychotic disorders, any of several illnesses or disease processes that primarily:

- disrupt reality-testing and/or perception,

- create symptoms such as:

- delusions = fixed, false, idiosyncratic belief;  

- hallucinations = perceptual disturbances:

- auditory: hearing voices, sighing, mumbling;

- visual: "visions";

- olfactory = smells;

- tactile;

Thought disorders are generally differentiated from "mood disorders" which may also sometimes cause psychotic symptoms

 

As an organizing principle, all psychiatric illnesses can be divided into 3 main categories:

 

MOOD DISORDERS

THOUGHT DISORDERS

ORGANIC DISORDERS

Examples:

Major Depression

Bipolar Disorder

Cyclothymia

Dysthymia

Schizophrenia

Delusional disorder

Substance Abuse

Metabolic derangements

Psychiatric symptoms secondary to a medical condition

Overlap:

Schizoaffective disorder

 

 

 

Substance Abuse & Schizophrenia

 

 

 

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