Mental Health Status Examination (MSE)

Behaviors showing physical restlessness or agitation, such as pacing or fidgeting.

Behaviors indicating slowed movements, reduced speech, and a general lack of energy.

Involuntary movements, such as muscle spasms, tremors, or twitches.

Behaviors that are not observed directly but inferred by the clinician, such as 'appears depressed' or 'doesn't seem to be suicidal'.

The way a patient presents physically, including their clothing, grooming, and overall appearance.

Behaviors indicating a strong need for reassurance or approval from others, such as frequent eye contact or asking for confirmation.

Behaviors indicating social discomfort or avoidance, such as leaning away from the interviewer or avoiding direct eye contact.

Behaviors showing a close physical attachment to a caregiver, such as holding onto a parent's hand or staying close by.

Describes the patient's internal emotional state over time. It is subjective and best understood through the patient's own words.

A newly coined word or expression with nonsensical origins and meaning, often associated with aphasia or schizophrenia.

A severely disorganized and almost incomprehensible mixture of words or phrases, typical of severe thought disorders.

When a patient stops speaking mid-sentence, often related to topics that trigger anxiety or discomfort.

When a patient's ideas are no longer connected logically and appear random or nonsensical.

Describes the patient's behavior and attitude towards the interviewer during the assessment process.

When a patient does not answer certain questions, typically those related to personal or distressing topics, as if they did not hear them.

The patient's understanding of the difference between objects and concepts may be impaired, leading to misinterpretations or unusual associations. For example, the patient may identify a watch as a clock.

A state of mind where a person has a neutral mood.

A type of delusion that is highly improbable or impossible, even within the realm of fantasy.

Thoughts and beliefs that are fixed and false, despite clear evidence to the contrary.

A term for the way a person expresses their emotions outward.

When a person's emotional expression matches what they say they are feeling.

A way of assessing a patient's mood by asking them to rate it on a scale.

Describes an emotional expression that is very strong and dramatic.

Persistent, specific, and intrusive thoughts that often cause distress or discomfort, usually with irrational or taboo content.

Uncontrollable urges or behaviors that someone feels compelled to perform, commonly in response to obsessions.

Issues with the ability to grasp or understand the passage/passage of time, commonly linked to delirium. Symptoms may include confusion about the date, day, or even seasons.

Challenges recognizing and identifying people in their surroundings, often involving misidentification or an inability to connect faces with familiar individuals.

A type of thought disorder characterized by a disconnected and illogical flow of thoughts. Ideas are often random and appear to lack a clear connection.

A false belief held despite evidence to the contrary, often involving a conviction that someone famous is in love with them.

Having an inflated sense of self-importance, believing one has exceptional abilities or extraordinary talents.

The belief that everyday events or occurrences are somehow specifically related to them.

A preoccupation with the belief that something is happening to one's body, often involving parasites, infestations, or disease.

The belief that one's partner is unfaithful, despite no actual evidence.

A mental state where an individual is aware of their surroundings and responds appropriately to questions.

A level of consciousness where the patient is sluggish and may respond slowly or incompletely to questions.

A state of profound unconsciousness where the patient does not respond to any stimuli, even painful ones.

The ability to focus attention and concentrate on a task or stimulus.

A perception of a sensory event (sight, sound, touch, smell, or taste) that is not actually present. These are distinct from illusions, which are distortions of real stimuli.

Behaviors that suggest a person may be responding to hallucinations. This could include talking to themselves, laughing without reason, or making sudden, unexplained gestures.

A way to assess a patient's cognitive function by asking them to perform a series of simple calculations. For example, subtracting 7 from 100, then 7 from the result, and so on.

A cognitive screening test that assesses the frontal lobe's function by asking the patient to respond to a hypothetical scenario.

Assessing a patient's ability to think abstractly by asking them to interpret proverbs or find similarities between objects.

A basic screening test that involves asking the patient to spell a common word backward. This helps evaluate cognitive function.