disorganized thoughts

I don't know if this is completely unrelated to the topic?.. but I am wondering if anyone has this:
My son (age 24) OFTEN takes a good full minute (or longer) to respond when we ask him a question or speak to him. Often we have to repeat the question a couple of times so he even hears it and then it will either be answered ...or not. It's really like he doesn't even hear us, and is deep in his thoughts at that moment. It's been going on now for many years. I can't remember when it started but he's had this problem as far back as early teens or adolescence at least.
I don't know what is going on in his head during those times and he won't talk about it or ANY of his other symtoms to ANYONE. I now feel very bad (stupid) knowing he has had this particular 'problem' that long (probably since middle school or early high school years) and I, his mother, did not seek help for him. At the time, I did not realize how bothersome this was and how much worse his problems would someday become.
Does anyone else here have this problem where you are OFTEN, not seeming to hear others speaking to you at times? (or know of this?)
This is above and beyond the occasional example of someone preoccupied with a thought and just didn't hear, it is just too frequent.

this happens when someone asks me a question and I deliberate with the voices to hear what they have to say about it. it can be painstakingly slow since the slightest of my own thoughts disturbs what they are saying causing them to start over....not to mention they can take a while annunciating each word far slower than I care for. and people will think I'm not paying attention to their questions.

this happens when someone asks me a question and I deliberate with the voices to hear what they have to say about it. it can be painstakingly slow since the slightest of my own thoughts disturbs what they are saying causing them to start over....not to mention they can take a while annunciating each word far slower than I care for. and people will think I'm not paying attention to their questions.

Uhm. This is what I am wondering may possibly be going on with him. He usually does hear the question (so he hasn't lost conciousness) but it may take a while to respond. I go on this site because I am trying to find out as much as I can, so I can have at least some understanding of what he is going through.
He won't talk about it and because of his age, I am unable to get any information from Drs. (which change often). He claims not to hear voices and yet he talks to himself often, quite involved conversations sometimes. His life is going nowhere (despite his intelligence), he has gotten to the point where his hygiene is very lax or almost non existent, unusual for someone of that age. He's been hospitalized 3 times in the past year for psychosis. I don't know what his official "diagnosis" is, or even if one has been made. But this seems the most logical forum so-o -o. The last Pdoc recently prescribed Geodon which he says he is taking. It does seemed to be helping.
Thank you both, jeepys and blackwithered for sharing that. I appreciate that a bunch.

I don't know that talking to oneself means that he is hearing voices, though. A lot of people talk to themselves. And some seizures don't cause loss of consciousness. But if he has been hospitalized for psychosis, I guess that makes sense.