The Mental Status Exam Explained

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.

Contains case studies.

A comprehensive, easy-to-read introductory text for nursing students. The book is organized into three sections: Introduction to Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing, Mental Health Disorders, and Nursing Management of Special Populations. This unique text is the most comprehensive psychiatric mental health resource available.

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.