Synonyms
MSE
Description
The mental status examination (MSE) is a semi-structured interview that is often done during the initial meeting with the patient. It is the only formal procedure for assessing cognitive functioning during a psychiatric or neurologic examination (Fischer et al. 2004).
Regardless of the version used, the MSE typically covers the following aspects of patient behavior (Fischer et al. 2004):
Appearance includes the patient’s dress, grooming, comportment, facial expression, eye contact and mannerisms.
Orientation concerns the patient’s awareness of time, place, and person.
Speech involves observations about content and delivery. The examiner attends to the rate, tone, articulation, and phrasing of the delivery. Grammar and articulation are also important as deviations (e.g., perseveration and dysnomia).
Thought processinvolves the characteristic thinking style of the patient (e.g., lucid and able to maintain the associative threads vs. thought disorder and mental...
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Further Readings
Alagiakrishnan, K., Zhao, N., Mereu, L., Senior, P., & Senthilselvan, A. (2013). Montreal cognitive assessment is superior to standardized Mini-Mental Status Exam in detecting mild cognitive impairment in the middle-aged and elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. BioMed Research International, 2013, 186106.
Besson, P. S., & Labbe, E. E. (1997). Use of the modified Mini-Mental State Examination in children. Journal of Child Neurology, 12, 455.
Blessed, G., Tomlinson, B. E. and Roth, M. (1968). The association between quantitative measures of dementia and of senile change in the cerebral grey matter of elderly subjects. British Journal of Psychiatry, 114, 797–811.
Fischer, J. S., Hannay, H. J., Loring, D. W., & Lezak, M. D. (2004). Observational methods, rating scales, and inventories. In M. D. Lezak (Ed.), Neuropsychological assessment (4th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.
Grace, J., Nadler, J. D., White, D. A., Giuilmette, T. J., et al. (1995). Folstein vs modified Mini-Mental State Examination in geriatric stroke: Stability, validity, and screening utility. Archives of Neurology, 52, 477–484.
Kaufman, D. M. (1991). Clinical neurology for psychiatrists (5th ed.). Philadelphia: Saunders.
Kim, T. H., Jhoo, J. H., Park, J. H., Kim, J. L., Ryu, S. H., & Moon, S. W. (2010). Korean version of Mini Mental Status Examination for dementia screening and its’ short form. Psychiatry Investigation, 7, 102–108.
Lezak, M. D. (2012). Neuropsychological assessment (5th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.
Sikaroodi, H., Yadegari, S., & Miri, S. R. (2013). Cognitive impairments in patients with cerebrovascular risk factors: A comparison of Mini Mental Status Exam and Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery, 115, 1276–1280.
Strauss, E., Sherman, E. M. S., & Spreen, O. (2006). A compendium of neuropsychological tests: Administration, norms, and commentary (3rd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.
Teng, E. L., & Chui, H. C. (1987). The Modified Mini-Mental State (3MS) examination. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 48, 314–318.
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Rozenblatt, S. (2018). Mental Status Examination. In: Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_198
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_198
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