When you tell a client that his cat was just hit by a car and died, he falls down and rolls around on the ground laughing. He is displaying derailment.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Derailment is a thought disorder where a person's thoughts or speech jump from one topic to another unrelated topic. In this scenario, the client's reaction is not related to the news of his cat's death and is not a display of derailment. It may be a display of another mental health condition, such as dissociation or inappropriate affect.

When You Tell a Client That His Cat Was Just