Mental Status Exams

Where does mental status exams happen

Behavioral health and psychiatric services

Mental health status exam

Evaluation of a persons mental status by assessing certain factors

• Current snapshot of a person in the moment

Factors assessed in exam

1. Physical appearance

2. Behavior

3. Intellectual processing

4. Memory

5. Intellectual functioning

6. Mood

7. Affect

8. Speech

9. insight and judgment

Physical appearance

• Type of clothing

• State of clothing and hygiene

Behavior

• Answer questions

• Eye contact

Intellectual processing

• Orientation

  • 1x= self only

  • 2x= person and place

  • 3x= person, place, an time

  • 4x= person, place, time, and situation

Intellectual functioning

Ability to read a paragraph

Mood

What they say about how they feel

Affect

How they present their feelings

• Blunt: some emotion but not a lot

• Flat: no change in facial expression

• Bright: open facial expression and smiles

Speech

• Rate: how slow of fast they speak

• Pressured: forcing the words out

• Insight and judgement

• Client ability to understand situations

• Clients ability to make sound decisions