The document outlines the domains of a mental status examination, which is a structured way to assess a client's psychological functioning. It describes 11 domains: general appearance, behavior, speech patterns, mood, affect, thought content, thought process, perceptual disturbances, sensorium and cognitive ability, insight, and judgment. Each domain contains several components that should be evaluated, such as grooming, motor activity, orientation, and memory. The mental status examination provides an overview of a client's psychological state at a particular point in time.

1. Mr Richard Yirenkyi
Nursing Officer
B.Ed. Health Science Education
*

2. Mental status Examination is a
structured way of assessing and
describing the psychological functioning
of a client at a particular point in time
*

3. 1.Definition
2.Components / Domains
*

4. 1. General appearance
2. Behaviour
3. Speech Patterns
4. Mood
5. Affect
6. Thought Content
7. Thought Process / Form
8. Disturbance of Perception
9. Sensorium and Cognitive Ability
10. Insight
11.Judgement

5. 1. GENERAL APPEARANCE
a) Grooming and dress
b) Hygiene
c) Posture
d) Height and weight
e) Level of eye contact
f) Hair color and texture
g) Evidence of scars, tattoos, or other distinguishing
skin marks
h) Evaluation of client’s appearance compared with
chronological age
* DOMAINS OF THE MENTAL STATUS
EXAMINATION (MSE)

6. 2. BEHAVIOUR
i. Motor Activity
a.Tremors
b. Tics or other stereotypical movements
c. Mannerisms and gestures
d. Hyperactivity
e. Restlessness or agitation
f. Aggressiveness
g. Rigidity
*DOMAINS cont’d

7. Motor Activity
h. Gait patterns
i. Echopraxia
j. Psychomotor retardation
k. Freedom of movement (range of
motion)
* 2. BEHAVIOUR cont’d

8. ii. Attitude
a. Cooperative/uncooperative
b.Friendly/hostile/defensive
c. Uninterested/apathetic
d.Attentive/interested
e. Guarded/suspicious
*2. BEHAVIOUR cont’d

9. 3. SPEECH PATTERNS
a.Slowness or rapidity of speech
b.Pressure of speech
c.Intonation -
d.Volume
e.Stuttering or other speech impairments
f. Aphasia -
*DOMAINS cont’d

10. *DOMAINS cont’d
4. Mood
a. Sad
b. Depressed
c. Despairing
d. Irritable
e. Anxious
f. Elated
g. Euphoric
h. Fearful
i. Guilty
j. Labile
5. Affect
a. Congruence with mood
b. Constricted or blunted
(diminished amount/range
and intensity of emotional
expression)
c. Flat (absence of emotional
expression)
d. Appropriate or
inappropriate (defines
congruence of affect with
the situation or with the
client’s behavior

11. 6. CONTENT OF THOUGHT
a. Delusions (Persecutory, grandiose, reference,
control or influence, somatic, nihilistic)
b. Suicidal or homicidal ideas
c. Obsessions
d. Paranoia/suspiciousness
e. Magical thinking
f. Religiosity
g. Phobias
h. Poverty of content (vague, meaningless responses)
*DOMAINS cont’d

12. 7. THOUGHT PROCESSES / FORM
a. Flight of ideas
b. Loose association
c. Circumstantiality
d. Tangentiality
e. Neologisms
f. Concrete thinking
g. Clang associations
h. Word salad
*DOMAINS cont’d

13. 8. PERCEPTUAL DISTURBANCES
a. Hallucinations (Auditory, Visual,
Tactile, Olfactory, Gustatory)
b. Illusions
c. Depersonalization (altered perception of
the self)
d. Derealization (altered perception of the
environment)
*DOMAINS cont’d

14. 9. SENSORIUM AND COGNITIVE ABILITY
I. Concentration
Is the individual clear-minded and
attentive to the environment?
II. Orientation
Is the person oriented to the following?
a. Time
b. Place
c. Person
d. Circumstances
*DOMAINS cont’d

15. III. Memory
a. Recent (Is the individual able to remember occurrences of the past few
days?)
b. Remote (Is the individual able to remember occurrences of the distant
past?)
c. Confabulation (Does the individual fill in memory gaps with
experiences that have no basis in fact?)
d. Capacity for abstract thought. (Can the individual interpret proverbs
correctly?) “What does ‘it does not rain on one roof alone mean?”
* SENSORIUM AND COGNITIVE ABILITY
cont’d

16. 10. INSIGHT
(Knowledge about self)
a. Awareness of limitations
b.Awareness of consequences of actions
c. Awareness of illness
i.“Do you think you have a problem?”
ii.“Do you think you need treatment?”
*DOMAINS cont’d

17. 11. JUDGMENT
(Ability to solve problems and make
decisions) examples:
a. What are your plans for the future?
b.What do you plan to do to reach
your goals?
*DOMAINS cont’d