Mental State Exam Flashcards
components of MSE
appearance behaviour speech mood affect thoughts perception cognition insight
what is included in appearance
does the patient look their age clothing physique personal hygiene tattoos/ signs of drug abuse physical illness expression posture
what is included in behaviour
what is the patient doing- is it appropriate psychomotor agitation expression eye contact rapport/ attitude
what is included in speech
rate- fast/slow
quantity- minimal/complete absence/excessive
volume
tone
fluency + rhythm - articulate/clear /slurred
what is meant by pressure of speech
rapid speech- motivated by urgency
how does mood compare to affect
mood = how the patient thinks they are
affect = how you think the patient is
types of mood
low/depressed anxious angry apathetic (no interest) elated
what is included in affect
quality of effect
- sad/agitated/hostile
- euphoric/animated
intensity of affect
- normal, blunted, exaggerated, flat, heightened
extent to which affect changes
- restricted, reactive, labile
what is a labile affect
easily changes between states
what do you need to ask in relation to suicidality
suicidal ideation
thoughts of life not worth living
thoughts of wanting to self harm, methods, plans for suicide
what is thought insertion
belief that thoughts can be put into the patients mind
what is thought withdrawal
belief that thoughts can be removed from the patient’s mind
what is thought broadcasting
belief that others can hear the patients mind
what is a hallucination
a sensory perception without an external stimulus that the patient believes IS REAL
e.g. hears voices but no sound present
what is a pseudo-hallucination
patient knows that what they are experiencing IS NOT REAL
what is an illusions
misinterpreted perception e.g. mistaking a shadow for a person
what is a preoccupation
not fixed, false or intrusive but have an undue prominence in a persons mind
what is an obsession
an undesired, unpleasant, intrusive thought that cannot be suppressed
what is an overvalued idea
an unreasonable sustained belief
e.g. perception of weight in anorexia
what is a delusion
fixed, false belief
not modified by experience or reason
examples of delusions
paranoid
grandoise
bizarre
what is important to ask about with auditory hallucinations
2nd or 3rd person number of voices gender content- what do they say do they command the patient to do things does the patient feel compelled to act on commands
what is included in cognition
orientation - time, place, person
attention + concentration
short term memory
what is a neologism
creation of new words / phrases
what is included in insight
4 A’s
- awareness of symptoms
- attribution of symptoms to a mental disorder
- analysis of consequences of symptoms
- acceptance of treatment
