Rambles, jumps between topics
A simple question gets a ten-minute answer that passes through three unrelated stories before landing, or never lands.
Rule out first
Thinking aloud as a style. Nerves. A second language. Fatigue.
What could explain it
Extraversion: They think by talking and land on the point eventually; they can summarise when asked.
ADHD in adults: Lifelong, with interruptions, lost threads and forgotten questions; they apologise and laugh about it.
Bipolar disorder and hypomania: Pressure of speech: fast, hard to interrupt, and different from their usual self, with less sleep.
Schizotypal personality: Odd associations, unusual words, and eccentric beliefs, consistent over years.
Psychosis: Hard to follow at all: links between ideas make no sense, and it's new.
A next move
Ask them to give the answer in one sentence. Can do it means style; can't but tries means ADHD; can't and pressured means hypomania; strange links mean a doctor.
If it’s you
When I talk at length, am I thinking or avoiding the point?