What is a "mental status exam"?

What is a "mental status exam"?

Christopher Reist (Academic Psychiatrist, Co-Author of “Psychiatry”) gives expert video advice on: How do I know if I should go to see a psychiatrist?; How does a psychiatrist diagnose a patient?; Is a psychiatrist allowed to tell others about me? and more...

A mental status exam is a systematic evaluation of a number of qualities that are important in completing the assessment. It starts out with making notes about a person's appearance and behavior. There's an assessment of speech, both the speed of speech as well as the content. A psychiatrist will pay particular attention to how thoughts are connected together to see if there is disorganization. There'll also be inquiry into specific symptoms of mental disorder, such as sleep disturbance, problems with appetite, weight loss. Another category would include asking about hallucinations, paranoid ideas, and other symptoms that are seen as psychosis. The final part would be doing a screening of cognitive functions. And that would include testing of memory, testing of basic knowledge -- for example current social events -- and then finally trying to get an idea of a person's insight into their condition and their ability to make judgment decisions.