![]() ![]() Mood disorder, schizophrenia, substance useĪffect: objective observation of patient's emotional state by the physician Mood: subjective report of emotional state by patientīody movements/making contact with others, facial expressions (tearfulness, smiles, frowns) Provocative: personality disorder or trait Poor eye contact: depression, psychotic disorder There are no guidelines to direct further testing in the setting of an abnormal mental status examination therefore, testing is based on clinical judgment.īody habitus, eye contact, interpersonal style, style of dressĪppearance: attention to detail, attire, distinguishing features (e.g., scars, tattoos), grooming, hygieneĭisheveled: depression, schizophrenia/psychotic disorder, substance useīehavior: candid, congenial, cooperative, defensive, engaging, guarded, hostile, irritable, open, relaxed, resistant, shy, withdrawnĮye contact: fleeting, good, none, sporadic The mental status examination is useful in helping differentiate between a variety of systemic conditions, as well as neurologic and psychiatric disorders ranging from delirium and dementia to bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Each must be interpreted in the context of physician observation. These tools have varying sensitivity and specificity for neurologic and psychiatric disorders, but none are diagnostic for any mental status disorder. Physician judgment is necessary in selecting the most appropriate tool for an individual patient. Proprietary and open-source clinical examination tools are available, such as the Mini-Mental State Examination and the Mini-Cog. ![]() Multiple cognitive functions may be tested, including attention, executive functioning, gnosia, language, memory, orientation, praxis, prosody, thought content, thought processes, and visuospatial proficiency. The mental status examination includes general observations made during the clinical encounter, as well as specific testing based on the needs of the patient and physician. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |