Which term means sudden interruption of thought?

Which term means sudden interruption of thought?

• A. Blocking
• B. Derailment
• C. Perseveration
• D. Echolalia

Answer: (A)

Blocking is the sudden interruption of the flow of thought or speech, causing the person to stop mid-sentence and be unable to continue the thought. In a mental status exam, you may observe the patient starting to say something and then abruptly halting, sometimes with difficulty or delay before they can resume. This distinguishes blocking from other phenomena: derailment involves a shift to unrelated topics or illogical connections; perseveration is the persistent repetition of a single thought or action; echolalia is the automatic repetition of someone else’s words. Recognizing blocking helps identify disruptions in thought processes that can appear in various psychiatric conditions.