Although there is a lot of literature providing mental status examination information but still people ask this question that what is a mental status examination. Those who are curious to know about mental health are more eager to gain mental status examination information. However, if you have ever experienced visiting a psychiatrist you might know what a mental status examination is. And if not, then this article will provide you basic and essential mental status examination information to answer this frequently asked question that what is a mental status examination. Mental status examination (MSE) is basically an evaluative test to measure your mental capacity. It is more likely than a physical examination that a physician does before treating your physical ailment. It is not so much a method of finding out the type of depression you suffer  from like prepartum depression for example. The difference between both examinations is that mental status examination is a test of your mind and mental state whereas physical examinations are to determine your physical ailments. Mental Status Examination Information The mental status examination is defined as the assessment of your cognitive behavior, general appearance, speech, memory, insight, thinking patterns and emotional imbalances. It is a basic step of the process of psychological treatment to understand the client history and his mental illness. The time required to take MSE usually depends upon the condition of the client. If the client is mentally healthy and responsive to the questions being asked by the psychologist then it ...

The mental status examination is usually denoted as MSE in psychiatric practice. It is the test of mental abilities to measure the level of insanity or abnormality of a person. Hence, the mental functioning of a client is then determined in the process of mental status examination. Psychiatrist takes your mental test same as any physician examines your body to diagnose your physical ailment. There are basically the following areas which are measured in mental status examination: General appearance: it determines the general description of an individual including its clothing, odor, eye contact, movements, attitude etc. Mood: it figures out your attitude, emotions, feelings, and behavior. Thinking patterns: This measures your thought processes that either they are violent, calm, logical, disorganized, or abstract. Memory: disposes your ability to recall past or recent memories. Cognition: determines your ability to evaluate your own self and your abilities to identify your own strength and weaknesses. Insight: refers your realization about the nature of your illness, its complexity, and severity. Speech: it measures the quality of your speech; it is disorganized, clear, low, whispering or yelling. Mental Status Examination Purpose In this context, mental status examination is an important tool of psychiatric practice to diagnose the mental illnesses in patients. The effects of mental status examination are very favorable and helpful to begin further psychological treatment and also post-traumatic stress disorder relief remedies. However, the effects of mental status examination can be clearly seen on client’s mental health. Once the psychiatrist starts taking history ...