Mental Status Examination

The ability to effectively assess cognitive and other behavioral functions is an essential skill for neurologists, psychiatrists, geriatricians, nurses, and other clinicians who perform clinic and bedside examinations. Unique in the field, The Mental Status Examination Handbook is a user-friendly, comprehensive resource that provides practical guidance on cognitive assessment, clarifies mental status testing procedures, and assists with decision making for neuropsychological referrals. This detailed manual draws from the full history of behavioral neurology testing, making the complex and challenging area of cognitive assessment accessible for both students and practitioners. Offers guidance on how to choose and perform a large number of mental status tests, with information on selected test materials and normative values. Covers the bedside evaluation of arousal, attention, memory, language, perception, executive abilities, and other cognitive and behavioral areas. Provides an authoritative assessment and compendium of commonly used mental status scales, inventories and questionnaires. Describes relevant correlations with formal neuropsychological testing, neuroimaging, and neuropsychiatric disease. Explains how to weigh, use, and understand mental status scales and neuropsychological instruments. Discusses the meaning of cognitive symptoms and signs, and their neuroanatomical and neuropathological correlations.

Developed from years of teaching psychiatry to medical students and residents, this comprehensive text devoted solely to describing the mental status examination (MSE) fills a void in the teaching literature and will be valuable to both students first learning about the MSE and seasoned clinicians seeking an informative reference. The introductory chapter offers basic advice on interviewing patients and eliciting information. Six major sections of the MSE follow and are thoroughly described with a chapter devoted to each: Appearance, Attitude, Activity; Mood and Affect; Speech and Language; Thought Content, Thought Process, and Perception; Cognition; and Insight and Judgment. Each chapter lists a detailed definition of reference for students describing their findings, and are an insightful review even for experienced practitioners. The clinical relevance of mental status abnormalities is illustrated through frequent examples of disorders that can cause the particular signs and symptoms defined in each chapter. A final chapter describing fictional case histories with hypothetical examples of written mental status reports will be particularly useful for those learning to write such reports. This text is an important addition to the libraries of students and practitioners who work with psychiatric patients and should help to simplify and organize a challenging task.

Psychiatric mental status examinations are part of the job of nurses, physicians, and many others in the field of mental health and addictions. In this highly accessible guide, Cheryl Webster Pollard introduces students and beginning practitioners to the skills and knowledge necessary to conduct a comprehensive examination. Fundamentals of the Psychiatric Mental Status Examination is an interactive workbook containing case studies, activities, and study questions to guide students through the process of administering the examination and documenting the information. Each chapter explores a distinct aspect of the assessment, allowing readers to focus on key areas of interest. Students will learn how to assess for potential psychopathology, psychosis, and suicidal or homicidal ideation, and will examine unique cultural and age considerations that may affect individual experiences. Well-suited to a wide range of disciplines, including health, nursing, social work, and occupational therapy, this workbook’s practical approach and rich pedagogical content make it an ideal resource for new and aspiring practitioners in these fields.

The Neuropsychiatric Mental Status Examination is a guidebook for clinical psychiatric diagnosis. The title introduces the language, technique and concepts of the phenomenology. The first part of the text covers the basic phenomenology principles; the major areas of concern in mental health diagnosis; methodology for effective diagnosis of mental pathology. Part II elaborates the topics in Part I; this part develops and reinforces the techniques, phenomenological principles of diagnosis, diagnostic criteria. The second part also presents data which aid in the delineation of metal disorders. The book will be of great interest to students of behavioral science related degrees. The text will also serve professional psychologists and psychiatrists as a reference.

This comprehensive mental status examination core skills guide is an invaluable tool for all health professionals, including registered nurses, student nurses, social workers, midwives, occupational therapists, psychologists and medical doctors. The guide provides uncomplicated assessment terminology definitions that are easy to remember and integrate into each assessment you complete. The mental status examination is a methodical assessment tool used to evaluate the appearance, behavior, general manner and mental functioning of an individual. The mental status examination provides a snapshot of an individuals psychological performance capability, at any moment in time, and is considered to be a key element in the comprehensive assessment process. This guide will lead you through the mental status examination in a structured and systematic approach, providing examples and prompt questions of each key element, as you progress with your learning.

Contains case studies.

Simplified explanation of exam procedures such as assessment of level of consciousness, language acuity, memory, and attention Pocket card summarizes the main points to remember in assessing mental status in limited patient-contact time DSM-IV diagnostic criteria are covered to ease filling out insurance forms Findings about cognition and testing a patient's mental function Covers the refinement of testing procedures and the psychological test battery to speed up the exam Presents age-related norms, important when assessing the elderly for early dementia Reviews ways to use the exam as a screening procedure, particularly when diagnosing dementia and differentiating between organic and functional disorders