Abstract

The mental state examination

Author(s): Dr Neel Burton,Dr Tom Stockmann,Dr Chris Chopdar,Dr Akshay Nair,Mr Toby Pillinger,By email to Dr Tom Stockmann

This article details a practical routine for examining the mental state that is appropriate both for day-to-day clinical practice and for sitting Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) type exams. The emphasis is on the steps involved in examining the mental state, rather than on specific signs and symptoms. For a full description of the signs and symptoms of mental disorders, please refer to the other articles and references cited in this paper.