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Mental status tests

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Definition:

Mental status tests are used to see whether a disease or condition is affecting a person's thinking abilities. The tests can also reveal whether a person's mental condition is improving or getting worse.

Alternative Names:

Memory; Word comprehension; Orientation; Attention span; Cognitive tests

How the test is performed:

The following tests may be performed.

ORIENTATION

The health care provider will ask questions that may include:

• The time, date, and season
• The place where the person lives, type of building, city and state
• The person's name, age, and occupation

ATTENTION SPAN

The provider will test the person's ability to complete a thought. This may be evident through conversation, or the person may be asked to follow a series of directions.

RECENT MEMORY

The provider will ask questions related to recent people, places, and events in the person's life or in the world.

REMOTE MEMORY

The provider will ask about the person's childhood, school, or historical events that occurred earlier in life.

WORD COMPREHENSION

The provider will point to everyday items in the room and ask the person to name them.

JUDGMENT

To test the person's judgment and ability to exercise alternative solutions to a given problem or situation, the provider might ask questions such as, "What would you do if a police officer approached from behind in a car with lights flashing?" or "If you found a driver's license on the ground, what would you do?"

How to prepare for the test:

No preparation is necessary for these tests. All responses should be natural, spontaneous, and honest. Preparation, especially by a highly intelligent person, could distort the results of the test by making it appear that cognitive function has not diminished when, in fact, it actually has.

How the test will feel:

There is no physical discomfort.

• Review Date: 11/15/2006
• Reviewed By: Paul Ballas, D.O., Department of Psychiatry, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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