ch.5 mental status assessment Exam Questions and Answers Fully Solved Latest Version 2025
what is mental status? - Answers Mental status is a person's emotional and cognitive functioning,
mental status strikes a balance between good and bad days, allowing person to function socially and
occupationally
what does Optimal functioning of mental status aims toward? - Answers simultaneous life satisfaction in
work, caring relationships, and within the self
what is the expected mental response to trauma? - Answers transient dysfunction
mental disorder - Answers Significant behavioral or psychological
PATTERN that is greater than the expected response associated with:
• Distress, a painful symptom
• Disability, impaired functioning
• Significant risk of pain, disability, or death, or a loss of freedom
2 types of mental d/o's - Answers ORGANIC DISORDERS
PSYCHIATRIC MENTAL ILLNESS
organic mental d/o? examples? - Answers • Due to brain disease of known specific organic cause.
Examples: delirium, dementia, alcohol and drug intoxication and withdrawal
psychiatric mental d/o? examples? - Answers Organic etiology has not yet been
established, examples: anxiety disorder or schizophrenia
what does a mental status assessment document? - Answers documents a dysfunction and determines
how that dysfunction affects self-care in QD life
how is mental status assessed? (PM MATT COAL) - Answers it is inferred through assessment of pt's
behaviors:
• Consciousness
• Language
• Mood and affect
• Orientation
• Attention
• Memory
, • Abstract reasoning
• Thought process
• Thought content
• Perceptions
WHATS THE most elementary of mental status functions - Answers conciuouness
affect - Answers TEMPORARY appearance of OBSERVABLE feelings/emotions
mood - Answers durable PROLONGED DISPLAY of feelings/emotions
attention - Answers ability to focus on one thing without being distracted
abstract reasoning - Answers ability to ponder a deeper meaning beyond somethings literal meaning
thought process - Answers the way a person thinks- train of thought
thought content - Answers what the person thinks- beliefs, ideas, use of words
what is difficult in performing mental status exam on infants and children - Answers • Difficult to
separate and trace development of just one aspect of mental status in children, because all aspects are
interdependent. Around 18-24 months the kid knows they are separate from mom.
progression of language development by 4weeks old? 6 weeks? 1 year? 4-5 years? - Answers
differentiated crying 4 weeks, cooing 6 weeks, 1 word sentences 1 year. language as a tool to
communicate by 4-5 years
age kid is able to reason and understand and has logic - Answers around 7
factors that are specific to old that may effect mental status - Answers • Older adulthood contains more
potential for losses
• Grief and despair surrounding theses losses can affect mental status and can result in disability,
disorientation, or depression
• Chronic diseases such as heart failure, cancer, diabetes, and osteoporosis include fear of loss of life
type memory normal effected by aging - Answers recent memory
what sensory problems in old effect mental status and why - Answers hearing loss- problems hearing
conversations, make them frustrated, suspiuoys, isolated
vision loss- apathy, isolation, depression
whats a full mental status exam? when is it done? - Answers systematic check of emotional and
what is mental status? - Answers Mental status is a person's emotional and cognitive functioning,
mental status strikes a balance between good and bad days, allowing person to function socially and
occupationally
what does Optimal functioning of mental status aims toward? - Answers simultaneous life satisfaction in
work, caring relationships, and within the self
what is the expected mental response to trauma? - Answers transient dysfunction
mental disorder - Answers Significant behavioral or psychological
PATTERN that is greater than the expected response associated with:
• Distress, a painful symptom
• Disability, impaired functioning
• Significant risk of pain, disability, or death, or a loss of freedom
2 types of mental d/o's - Answers ORGANIC DISORDERS
PSYCHIATRIC MENTAL ILLNESS
organic mental d/o? examples? - Answers • Due to brain disease of known specific organic cause.
Examples: delirium, dementia, alcohol and drug intoxication and withdrawal
psychiatric mental d/o? examples? - Answers Organic etiology has not yet been
established, examples: anxiety disorder or schizophrenia
what does a mental status assessment document? - Answers documents a dysfunction and determines
how that dysfunction affects self-care in QD life
how is mental status assessed? (PM MATT COAL) - Answers it is inferred through assessment of pt's
behaviors:
• Consciousness
• Language
• Mood and affect
• Orientation
• Attention
• Memory
, • Abstract reasoning
• Thought process
• Thought content
• Perceptions
WHATS THE most elementary of mental status functions - Answers conciuouness
affect - Answers TEMPORARY appearance of OBSERVABLE feelings/emotions
mood - Answers durable PROLONGED DISPLAY of feelings/emotions
attention - Answers ability to focus on one thing without being distracted
abstract reasoning - Answers ability to ponder a deeper meaning beyond somethings literal meaning
thought process - Answers the way a person thinks- train of thought
thought content - Answers what the person thinks- beliefs, ideas, use of words
what is difficult in performing mental status exam on infants and children - Answers • Difficult to
separate and trace development of just one aspect of mental status in children, because all aspects are
interdependent. Around 18-24 months the kid knows they are separate from mom.
progression of language development by 4weeks old? 6 weeks? 1 year? 4-5 years? - Answers
differentiated crying 4 weeks, cooing 6 weeks, 1 word sentences 1 year. language as a tool to
communicate by 4-5 years
age kid is able to reason and understand and has logic - Answers around 7
factors that are specific to old that may effect mental status - Answers • Older adulthood contains more
potential for losses
• Grief and despair surrounding theses losses can affect mental status and can result in disability,
disorientation, or depression
• Chronic diseases such as heart failure, cancer, diabetes, and osteoporosis include fear of loss of life
type memory normal effected by aging - Answers recent memory
what sensory problems in old effect mental status and why - Answers hearing loss- problems hearing
conversations, make them frustrated, suspiuoys, isolated
vision loss- apathy, isolation, depression
whats a full mental status exam? when is it done? - Answers systematic check of emotional and
