Mental Status Evaluation The next topic of discussion is the mental status examination. Psychiatrists and general practitioners use the mental status examination to determine if the patient has a cognitive deficit. There are two types of mental status examinations that will be discussed in the next section. These include the mental status examination and the shorter version, known as the mini mental status examination. Both of these tests measure a person’s cognitive functioning. In this section, we will discuss the ways doctors use mental status evaluations to evaluate the patient with a psychiatric disorder. It is not generally used by general practitioners or internists but is used by neurologists and psychiatrists who use the test to assess the cognitive abilities of the mental patient. The mental status examination can detect impairments in cognition, memory, and can detect disorders of thought processes in patients suspected of having a mental or cognitive disorder. The goal is to detect subtle changes in the mental status examination that cannot be picked up by simply interviewing the patient. There are several parts to the mental status examination. Together they are used to help detect mental disorders and cognitive deficits. The first aspect of the mental status examination is to look at the patient’s appearance. Take note of how the patient looks. Are they neatly dressed and have they paid attention to their grooming and clothing? Are they disheveled and have they failed to pay attention to their clothing and grooming? A mentally disturbed or cognitively impaired patient generally does not have good grooming habits and will not be well dressed and clean. The second aspect of the mental status examination is the level of alertness. Find out if the patient is conscious or not. If they aren’t conscious, can the patient be aroused using verbal stimuli or by eliciting a pain response from the patient. Find out if the patient can remain focused on the conversation and can answer questions appropriately. Determine if they have a normal attention span. The third aspect of the mental status examination is an evaluation of the patient’s speech pattern. Do they have a normal speech pattern and is the volume, quantity, and tone of their speech within normal limits? Do they pronounce words correctly or is their speech slurred and incomprehensible? The fourth aspect of the mental status examination is the patient’s behavior. Does the patient have a pleasant demeanor and cooperative with the examination? Are they agitated and unable to focus on the conversation? What is the attention span of the patient? Is the patient’s behavior appropriate for the situation they are in? The fifth aspect of the mental status examination is an assessment of the patient’s orientation. Are they aware of their environment and do they know their location and what they are doing at the doctor’s office? Do they know the name of their examiner? Can they tell the examiner details of the day of the week, the date, and the current year?
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