Disorganized thinking (formal thought disorder) is typically inferred from the individual’s speech.
The individual may switch from one topic to another (derailment or loose associations).
Answers to questions may be obliquely related or completely unrelated (tangentiality).
Speech may be so severely disorganized that it is nearly incomprehensible and resembles receptive aphasia in its linguistic disorganization (incoherence or “word salad”).
