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TABLE 2-3 - BRIEF MENTAL STATUS EXAMINATION

1. Preliminary observations
• State of consciousness (comatose, drowsy, alert)
• Attentiveness
• Mood and affect (?depressed, euphoric, indifferent, etc)
• Thought content (?hallucinations, paranoia, delusions, etc)
• Behavior (inapporpirate jocularity, rudeness, etc.)
2. Memory
• Orientation to time and place
• Digit span (a test of attentiveness)
• Give patients 3 items to remember; require them to recall after three minutes of distracting tasks.
• Other tests of recent memory: current age, recent events, presidents, etc.
• Remote memory: old news events, childhood memories, addresses, etc.
3. Manipulation of knowledge (reasoning)
• Proverb interpretations
• Similarities (what is the same about a chair and a table, what are similarities between a tree and a blade of grass, etc)
4. Left hemisphere function
• Gerstman's syndrome
• Calculations
• Writing
• Right-left orientation
• Finger identification (show me your ring-finger, etc)
• Dysphasia testing: listen to spontantous speech: test naming. If both are normal and the patient comprehends instructions, no further testing needed. If not, then proceed to a more thorough evaluation, as outlined in the section on dysphasia.
5. Right hemisphere function
• Map localization
• Constructional dyspraxia (see text - this actually also tests left hemisphere function)
• Observe for dressing apraxia, etc.
6. Further testing if indicated.