Mental State Flashcards
What are the stages of a mental state exam? (9)
- Appearance
- Behaviour
- Speech
- Mood/affect
- Thoughts
- Perceptions
- Delusions
- Cognition
- Insight
What is assessed in appearance in a mental state exam? (6)
- Clothing - appropriate for time of year and situation?
- Personal hygiene/care?
- Recent change in weight?
- Distinctive features?
- Posture/gait?
- Evidence of self harm?
What about clothing can be assessed in a mental state exam? (2)
- Appropiate for time of year?
- Appropriate for situation?
What indicates autonomic aurosal in a mental state exam? (3)
- Increased sweating?
- Increased resp rate?
- Tremor?
What is normal affect in a mental state exam?
Reactive and appropriate
What can be assessed about behaviour in a mental exam? (11)
- Psychomotor activity?
- Level of arousal - calm/agitated/worried/aggression?
- Rapport/engagement?
- Interaction with doctor? Ability to follow requests?
- Eye contact?
- Facial expression?
- Recent change in weight?
- Motor behaviour - drug effects?
- Autonomic arousal - increased sweating? increased resp rate? Tremor?
- Affect?
- Body language/gestures/mannerisms?
What is appearance a useful indicator of in a mental state exam? (2)
- Lifestyle
- Ability to self-care
What is behaviour a useful indicator of in a mental state exam?
Non verbal communication provides insights into current mental state
What can be assessed about a patient’s interaction with the doctor in a mental state exam? (2)
- Ability to follow requests
- Rapport/engagement
What can be assessed about a patient’s body language in a mental state exam? (2)
- Gestures
- Mannerisms
What is psychomotor activity?
Motor activity related to mental processes (can be slowed or increased)
What levels of arousal can be assessed in a mental state exam? (4)
- Calm?
- Agitated?
- Worried
- Aggression?
What can be assessed about speech in a mental state exam?
- Rate
- Rhythm/fluency
- Quantity
- Fluency
- Tone
- Volume - constant? Libale?
- Content = thoughts?
- Ununsual language?
What kind of unusual language should be assessed for in speech? (2)
- Neligisms: made up words
- Repetition of the same concept over and over
What does normal speech sound like in a mental state exam?
Fluent conversational sponteaneous speech of normal tone and volume
What does retardated speech sound like in a mental state exam?
- Words slow and few
What can be assessed from the rate of speech in a mental state exam? (2)
- Pressured
- Slowed
What can be assessed from the quantity of speech in a mental state exam? (3)
- Minimal? (response to questions)
- Excessive?
- Complete absence?
What can be assessed from the tone of speech in a mental state exam? (2)
- Montonous?
- Tremulous?
What can be assessed from the volume of speech in a mental state exam? (2)
- Loud?
- Quiet?
What can be assessed from the fluency/rhythm of speech in a mental state exam? (3)
- Articulate?
- Clear?
- Slurred?
What is affect in a mental state exam?
How people express mood/inner feelings by observable behaviour e.g facial expressions/demeanor
What aspects of affect can be observed? (3)
- Quality
- Range
- Intensity
What in the quality of affect can be observed? (2)
- Sad/agitated/hostile?
- Euphoric/animated?
What in the range of affect can be observed? (3)
- Restricted
- Normal
- Expansive
- Labile
What in the intensity of affect can be observed? (3)
- Normal?
- Blunted?
- Flat?
Define labile?
Easily changed between states
What does depressive speech sound like? (4)
- Low volume
- Reduced speech and fluency
- Monotonous
- Nialistic content
What does manic speech sound like? (6)
- Very fast
- Pressure of speech
- Flight of ideas
- Some rhyme
- Loose associations
- Grandiose ideas
What is flight of ideas?
Connection between utterances but whole doesn’t make sense
What does psychotic speech sound like? (4)
- Mumbled words of low volume
- Change of direction: difficult to understand
- Indecipherable neoligisms
- Bizzare content
What are the two types of mood? (2)
- Subjective
- Objective
