UPDATED SOLUTIONS | 100% CORRECT DETAILED ANSWERS
Mental Status - DETAILED ANSWER-defined as "a state of well-being in which every individual
realizes his or her own potential, can cope with normal stresses of life, can work productively and
fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community"
Consciousness - DETAILED ANSWER-Being aware of one's own existence, feelings, and
thoughts and of the environment. This is the most elementary of mental status functions.
Language - DETAILED ANSWER-Using the voice to communicate one's thoughts and feelings.
This is a basic tool of humans, and its loss has a heavy social impact on the individual.
Mood and affect - DETAILED ANSWER-Both of these elements deal with the prevailing feelings.
Affect - DETAILED ANSWER-temporary expression of feelings or state of mind
mood - DETAILED ANSWER-more durable, a prolonged display of feelings that color the whole
emotional life.
Orientation - DETAILED ANSWER-The awareness of the objective world in relation to the self.
Able to name own person, place, and time
, Attention - DETAILED ANSWER-The power of concentration, the ability to focus on one specific
thing without being distracted by many environmental stimuli.
Memory - DETAILED ANSWER-The ability to lay down and store experiences and perceptions for
later recall.
Recent memory - DETAILED ANSWER-evokes day-to-day events
remote memory - DETAILED ANSWER-brings up years' worth of experiences.
Abstract reasoning - DETAILED ANSWER-Pondering a deeper meaning beyond the concrete and
literal.
Thought process - DETAILED ANSWER-The way a person thinks; the logical train of thought.
Thought content - DETAILED ANSWER-What the person thinks—specific ideas, beliefs, the use
of words.
Perceptions - DETAILED ANSWER-An awareness of objects through the five senses.
The mental status exam (MSE) - DETAILED ANSWER-is the best tool for establishing a
psychiatric diagnosis.
The MSE includes - DETAILED ANSWER-a combination of observations, impressions, and the
interpretation of client responses and is analogous to the physical exam in the formulation of an
accurate diagnosis.