Mental status

examination
Definition

 Mental status examination is an

assessment of patient’s level of
cognitive (knowledge related) ability
appearance, emotional mood, and
speech and thought pattern at the time
of evaluation.
Purposes

Assess the presence and extent of a

person’s mental impairment.
To suggest specific areas for further
testing or specific types of required
tests.
To monitor or document changes in a
patient’s conditions.
 Factors affecting interpretation of findings
Any known illness or health problem.
Current medication whose side effect may
cause confusion or depression.
The usual education and behavioural level.
Responses to personal history questions,
indicating current stress, social interaction
patterns, sleep habits drug and alcohol use.
Precautions

 A mental status examination cannot

be given in a patient who cannot pay
attention to the examiner, for example
as a result of being in coma or
unconsciousness or is completely
unable to speak (aphasic) or is not
fluent in the language of examination
IDENTIFICATION DATA:
Name:
Age:
Sex:
Diagnosis:
Date and time of MSE
Venue:
Language of interview
1.GENERAL APPEARANCE
Grooming and dress
Posture and gait
Physical characteristics
Eye contact
Motor behaviour
Specific mannerisms
Attitude towards the examiner:
Handedness:
Manner of relating:
Rapport:
2. EMOTIONS (MOOD AND AFFECT)
Mood
Affect
3.SPEECH

Rate
Pitch volume and clarity
Specific abnormalities
4.PERCEPTUAL DISTURBANCE:

Hallucination and illusion.

Auditory
Visual
Tactile
5.THOUGHT

Thought process
Rate and flow of ideas
Racing thoughts
Retarded or slowed thoughts
Circumstantiality
Blocking
Perseveration:
Association
Loose association:
Flight of ideas:
Tangentiality
Clanging
Neologisms
Word salad
Thought content
Obsessions
phobias
delusions
Sensorium and cognition
Alertness and level of consciousness:
Orientation:
Time: Q] What is the time now?
 Q] Today’s date?
Place: Q] Where are you now?
Person: Q] Who am I?
Memory:

Immediate memory.
Recent memory
Recent past memory
Remote memory:
Attention and concentration:
100 – 7,
40 – 3,
20 – 1
Can you tell me the digits which I say forward and
backwards?
 25, 28, 41, 52,
Abstractability
General Information
Intelligence
7.Impulse Control
Q] What will you do if your son shouts at you?
8.Judgment
Test judgment:
Q] What will you do if you see a child standing near
the well?
Personal Judgment:
Q] What is your plan after discharge?
Social judgment:
9.Insight
Level of insight