How and when to assess mental status baseline and complete mental status exam (what questions do we ask for a basic mental status exam)?

Mental status examination is to assess the patient's mental alertness, thought process, dressing, appearance, speech etc

When: It is carried out when the Neurological Expert needs to assess a patient mental status.

see the explanation for further clarification

Explanation:

The mental status examination is an assessment of current mental capacity through through careful mental assessments. Baseline results are recorded, and the examination is repeated occasionally

The patient should be asked a question about the past, such as “What color suit did you wear on your wedding ceremony?"

Mental status examination is to assess the patient's mental alertness, thought process, dressing, appearance, speech etc

The patient is asked to do the following:

Follow a complex command that involves 3 body parts and discriminates between right and left (eg, “Put your right thumb in your left ear, and stick out your tongue”)

mention simple objects and objects part (eg, glasses and lens, belt and belt buckle)

reading, writing, and repetition simple phrases (if ther is a deparity in response, other tests of aphasia are to be carried out)

When

Mental status examination is done when a Neurological expert is not sure of a patients mental status, probably there is a neurological disorder