Health Assessment

Module 3 – Mental Status Assessment Key Terms

abstract reasoning Pondering a deeper meaning beyond the concrete and literal.
affect A temporary expression of feelings or state of mind.
attention The power of concentration, the ability to focus on one specific thing
without being distracted by many environmental stimuli.
consciousness Being aware of one’s own existence, feelings, and thoughts and aware of
the environment. Most elementary of mental status functions.
language Using voice to communicate thoughts and feelings.
memory (recent and The ability to lay down and store experiences and perceptions for later
remote)  recall. Recent – evokes day to day events. Remote – brings up years worth
of experience.
mental disorder When a person’s response is much greater than the expected reaction to
a traumatic life event. A significant behavioral or phsycological pattern
that is associated with distress or disability and has a significant risk of
pain, disability and or death or a loss of freedom.
mental status Is inferred through assessment of an individual’s behaviors.
mood A prolonged display of feelings that color the whole emotional life.
organic disorder Mental disorder due to brain disease of known specific organic cause, e.g.
delirium, dementia, intoxication, withdrawal).
orientation The awareness of the objective world in relation to the self.
perception An awareness of objects through the five senses.
psychiatric mental illness Mental disorder in which etiology has not yet been established, e.g.
anxiety disorder or schizophrenia).

Schizophrenia Symptoms (two or more present for 1 month): delusions, hallucinations,

disorganized speech, grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior, negative
symptoms
Social/Occupational Dysfunction: one or more areas of the functioning
such as work, interpersonal relationships, or self care are markedly below
the level achieved prior to the onset of the disturbance.
Duration: continuous signs persist for at least 6 months, including at least
1 month of symptoms from above (delusions, hallucinations, ect) and may
include periods of prodromal or residual symptoms.
Bipolar disorder Characterized by one or more manic episodes usually accompanied by
major depressive episodes.
Panic attack A discrete period of intense fear or discomfort. Palpitations, sweating,
trembling or shaking, sensations of shorness of breath, feeling of choking,
chest pain, nausea, feeling dizzy, unsteady, derealization, fear of dying,
paresthesias (numbness/tingling), chills or hot flashes.
Panic disorder 1. Recurrent unexpected panic attacks
2. At least one of the attacks has been followed by 1 month or more
of persistent concern about having additional attacks, worry
about the implications of the attack or its consequences, a
 significant change in behavior related to the attacks.
3. Agoraphobia may or may not be present.
Posttraumatic Stress The person has been exposed to a traumatic event in which the person
disorder experienced, witnessed, or was confronted with the actual or threatened
death or serious injury of self or others. Intense fear, helplessness, horror.
The event is persistently reexperienced by recollections, dreams, feelings.
Persistent symptoms of increased arousal: difficulty falling asleep or
staying asleep, irritability or anger, difficulty concentrating,
hypervigilance, exaggerated startle response.
Generalized Anxiety Excessive anxiety and worry occurring more days than not for at least 6
disorder months about a number of activities or events. Difficult to control the
worry.
Obsessive Compulsive Obsessions: recrurrent and persistent thoughts, impulses or images that
disorder are experienced as intrusive and inappropriate and that cause marked
anxiety or disress.
Compulsions: repetitive behaviors or mental acts that the person feels
driven to perform in response to an obsession, or according to rules that
must be applied rigidly.
Alcoholism Intoxicated person has unsteady gait,incoordination, nystagmus, flushed
face, sedated behavior, dulled concentration, impaired judgement,
slurred speech, impaired memory, depression, emotional liability.
Withdrawl: course tremor of hands, tongue, eyelids, anorexia, nausea and
vomiting, malaise, autonomic hyperactivity, headache, insomnia, anxiety,
depression or irritability. Delerium: marked autonomic hyperactivity, vivid
hallucinations, delusions, agitated behavior, fever.
Alzheimer's Progressive and fatal brain disease causing memory loss and confusion.
Most common form of dementia. Incurable.
Social Phobia A marked and persistent fear of one or more social or performance
situations in which the person is exposed to unfamiliar people or to
possible scrutiny by others.
Amnestic disorder The development of memory impairment in the absence of other
significant cognitive impairments. Significant impairment in social or
occupational functioning. Can be caused by pathology or substance
induced.