2: Mental state examination

Question 1

Is a mental state examination the same as a history?

Answer 1

No, history is patient’s account

MSE is a technical description

Question 2

When is a mental state examination carried out?

Answer 2

At the same time as the history

Question 3

What is the difference between mood and affect?

Answer 3

Mood - subjective, how the patient feels when you ask them, recorded in the patient’s own words

Affect - objective, how you think the patient appears throughout the interview

Question 4

How do you describe a patient’s affect?

Answer 4

Affect itself

How it varies throughout the interview

Question 5

Can mood and affect be different?

Answer 5

Yes

Question 6

What is a reactive affect?

Answer 6

Normal swings between “happy” and “sad”

Question 7

What is a flattened affect?

Answer 7

Negative affect can be seen but positive affect doesn’t come out to same degree, even if patient says they’re in a good mood

Question 8

What is a blunted affect?

Answer 8

Affect which doesn’t vary much throughout the interview

Question 9

Which psychiatric illness is a flattened affect a feature of?

Answer 9

Depression

Question 10

What is an unreactive affect?

Answer 10

Persistently negative affect

Question 11

What is a labile affect?

Answer 11

Exaggerated swings between positive and negative

Question 12

Which psychiatric disorder is a labile affect a feature of?

Answer 12

Bipolar disorder

Question 13

How can cognitive function be tested?

Answer 13

ACE-III questions

i.e orientation, concentration, memory