Thought withdrawal

In psychiatry, thought withdrawal is the delusional belief that thoughts have been 'taken out' of the patient's mind, and the patient has no power over this.[1] It often accompanies thought blocking. The patient may experience a break in the flow of their thoughts, believing that the missing thoughts have been withdrawn from their mind by some outside agency. This delusion is one of Schneider's first rank symptoms for schizophrenia. Because thought withdrawal is characterized as a delusion, according to the DSM-IV TR it represents a positive symptom of schizophrenia.[2]

  1. ^ Videbeck, S (2008). Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing, 4th ed. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwers Health, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
  2. ^ American Psychiatric Association (2000) Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-IV TR) 4th edition. USA: American Psychiatric Association