Comprehensive Mental Status Examination
ANSWERS
The mental status examination is the psychiatric equivalent of the physical examination. It is the defining status of the patient’s current state during evaluation. This activity defines mental status examination, describes its components and how they can be useful in practice and emphasizes how it can improve diagnosis and treatment for the interprofessional team in psychiatric practice.
Objectives:
Determine the purpose of a mental status examination and how it can be used in practice.
Explain the elements of a mental status examination.
Describe a mental status examination and how it can be documented.
Summarize how a mental status examination can lead to early identification and better management of patients with mental illnesses by the interprofessional team to improve patient outcomes.
The psychiatrist’s version of the physical examination is the mental status examination. Adolf Meyer created an outline for a standardized method to assess a patient’s “mental status” for psychiatric practice in 1918. It combines data from passive observation during the interview with data gleaned from direct questioning to determine the patient’s mental status. This method is used to detect, diagnose, and track signs and symptoms of mental illness. Each section of the mental status examination is designed to examine a different aspect of mental function to capture the objective and subjective aspects of mental illness fully.
Each practitioner organizes the mental status examination differently, but the main focus areas are the same. The mental status examination can be divided into broad categories for this activity: appearance, behavior, motor activity, speech, mood, affect, thought process, thought content, perceptual disturbances, cognition, insight, and judgment. Cognition can be divided into different cognitive domains based on what areas the practitioner determines are important to evaluate. Each section below will go over the definition, the proper method of assessment, and how that information can be used to diagnose and monitor the mental illness.
Nurses who care for patients must include a mental status exam in the patient’s overall physical assessment. The evaluation may take place during or shortly after admission. The patient’s general awareness and responsiveness should be assessed during the mental status exam. In addition, the patient’s orientation, intelligence, memory, judgment, and thought process may be considered. Simultaneously, the patient’s behavior and mood should be evaluated. Patient care plans are frequently altered when there are observable abnormalities on the mental status exam.
The nurse should take note of the general appearance, posture, and facial appearance when taking a mental health history. They should also observe and record general behavior, cognitive functioning, and orientation. Communication abilities, memory, cognition, and judgment are also noteworthy. Finally, it is possible to determine whether the patient is suicidal or at risk of self-harm. The key for nurses is to be diplomatic. Everything must be documented in the chart. The safety of both nurses and patients is critical at all times.
QUESTION
Comprehensive Mental Status Examination
For this assignment, list the parts of a comprehensive mental status examination (MSE) for mental health patients. Give examples of each and describe the significance to the advanced practice nurse.