Mental Health Assessment

The MSE Assesses

• Appearance
• Mood
• Thinking
• Perception
• Thought Content
• Behaviors
• Insight
• Judgment

General Observations

• Overall Presentation
• Client's Apparent Mood
• Eye Contact
• Speech Pattern

Describing Mood

• Euthymic - Mood Stability
• Euphoric - Intense happiness
• Irritable - Degree of Agitation
• Other Moods are noted, per the MSE

Assessing Cognition

• Orientation
• Memory
• Attentiveness

Perception and Reality Testing

• Hallucinations - seeing or hearing things that are not really there.
• Derealization - the sensation that one's surroundings are not real.
• Depersonalization - an overalll sense that things are unreal. Identity is disrupte

Thinking and Thought Content

• Homicidal Thoughts - thoughts of harming others
• Suicidal Thoughts - Thoughts of self-harm or taking their own life.
• Delusions - intense belief in something untrue or unreal

Behavior

• Cooperative
• Aggressive
• Guarded
• Withdraw

Insight

• The degree to which the client understand why they are seeking help, or an understanding and awareness of the presenting issue.

Judgment

• The ability of the client to demonstrate sound decision-making, or to draw conclusions about their situation or presenting issue

Remember!

• It's all about helping the client get better.
• After the assessment, the focus is on working with the client to restore wellness.
• The MSE can play a big role if finding out what is "wrong" with the client, so that we may emphasize all that can and will be right with the client

Mental Health Recovery

• For more insight about recovery from mental illness, take a look at the video at this link:
• https://youtu.be/-m_A8ST_18s