Mental Status Examination

Excerpt

The mental status examination was historically the psychiatrist's version of the physical examination. In 1918, Adolf Meyer developed an outline for a standardized method to evaluate a patient's mental status in psychiatric practice. In modern medicine, the same examination is utilized across specialties depending on the clinician's comfort level and the necessity to examine a patient.

The widely accepted approach to mental status examination addresses areas where medical information is gathered from a clinical interview to determine the patient's mental status. This approach is used to identify, diagnose, and monitor signs and symptoms of mental illness. Each component of the mental status examination is designed to assess different areas of mental function, aiming to capture the objective and subjective aspects of mental illness. The examination is typically elicited when a patient presents with a chief complaint that causes the clinician to suspect a change in mental status, altered mental status, or when assessing improvement or deterioration in a patient's condition. As is the case for any medical examination component, one aspect is integrated with various components of a standard visit, including patient history, review of systems, expanded or focused physical examination assessment, and plan.