Here is a topic that makes the news from time to time and may crop up in our own personal or family lives too. How to know if someone is mentally sound and intact and functioning well? Or losing touch with reality, unable to solve problems and complete tasks, forgetful, etc? In many scenarios (suspected mental illness, drug use, dementia, etc.) it might be helpful to know how to consider your or someone else’s mental status…
Caution: the proper way to assess the mental state of anyone is with an appropriate medical professional (usually a doctor or psychologist or psychiatrist). This article in no way replaces that. Rather, it offers some simple and basic approaches to the question, which, at most, may help people decide whether seeking professional advice is best.
Here are the major areas that are usually considered when assessing mental status:
- General observations – this includes appearance, mood, attitude.
- Orientation – time, place, context of interview.
- Cognition – ability to solve simple puzzles and tests like arithmetic and spelling.
- Memory – longer term and more recent and immediate (during interview).
- Language– comprehension and expression
- Judgement – approach to slightly complex life situations or challenges.
In a formal or clinical setting, a standard set of scored questions in these areas is often used. More typically, general practitioners and others assess all or most of these areas in a simple and brief interview.
If you have concerns about someone, or yourself, try considering each of these areas (by all means Google for more details) and you should gain a fair sense of how things are and whether more professional assessment may be warranted.
Written by Dr Colin Burns
