What is a brief mental status exam?

The MSE is a method used to document an individual’s basic cognitive, emotional, and behavioral functioning at a given point in time (Martin, 1990). This method has traditionally been used in psychiatry and clinical psychology but has also been adapted for other helping professions like social work and coaching.

What is an MSE form?

Brief Mental Status Exam (MSE) Form.

How do you write mental health status?

The following is a brief example of a mental status exam:

  1. Appearance: The client is slouched and disheveled.
  2. General behavior:The client is uncooperative and has poor eye contact.
  3. Speech:The client speaks fast and soft.
  4. Emotions:The client states he feels “depressed and anxious.”

How do you write an MSE?

Key principles in the approach to MSE: Write down the patient’s words and the order in which they are expressed verbatim. This should avoid misinterpretation. Take into account the patient’s age, culture, ethnicity, language and level of premorbid functioning.

What questions are asked on a mental status exam?

The Mental Status Exam (MSE)

  • Appearance: How does the patient look?
  • Level of alertness: Is the patient conscious?
  • Speech: Is it normal in tone, volume and quantity?
  • Behavior: Pleasant?
  • Awareness of environment, also referred to as orientation: Do they know where they are and what they are doing here?

How do you do a mental status assessment?

The Mental Status Exam (MSE)

  1. Appearance: How does the patient look?
  2. Level of alertness: Is the patient conscious?
  3. Speech: Is it normal in tone, volume and quantity?
  4. Behavior: Pleasant?
  5. Awareness of environment, also referred to as orientation: Do they know where they are and what they are doing here?

How do you take MSE?

Mental Status Examination

  1. Appearance. Record the patient’s sex, age (apparent or stated), race, and ethnic background.
  2. Attitude toward the examiner. Next, record the patient’s facial expressions and attitude toward the examiner.
  3. Mood.
  4. Affect.
  5. Speech.
  6. Thought process.
  7. Thought content.
  8. Insight.