Mental Status Exam

The mental status exam is the primary examination used to evaluate and document a person's mental and emotional status at a specific point in their lives. This helps occupational therapists gather information related to the clients occupational performance and overall well-being. It helps occupational therapists look at appearance and behavior, speech, mood & affect, language and thought, perception, cognitive functioning, impulse control, insight and judgement and motor activity. The resource above on the left is the actual mental status exam that would be used during assessment. The resource on the right is from Brown University and gives a general description of what it is and how it can be beneficial. Making sure the experience is client-centered is important to maintain the occupational therapy practice as taking a holistic approach.