Mental Status Examination

Mental Status Examination (MSE) is an interview process where a psychologist examines a patient's mental condition.  Information is gathered during history taking.  The MSE results are combined with the psychiatric history.

The patient is evaluated in terms of Appearance, Behavior, Speech, Mood and Affect, Thought Process, Thought Content, Perceptions, Cognition, Consciousness, Orientation, Memory, Judgment, and Insight.  The MSE requires one to four hours, depending on conciseness of patient’s answers and complexity of historical information.