Mental status exam or MSE refers to an assessment of the client’s appearance and behavior, emotional state, thought components, and cognitive functioning; a short screening test that assesses mental competence, usually used as a brief indicator of dementia or other serious cognitive impairment.

Mental status exam is used to assist the clinician in making a diagnosis and in treatment planning. Moreover, Mental status exam is defined as the initial evaluation of a client by a practitioner to determine the client’s overall mental condition, including orientation to person, place, time; insight and judgment; mental and emotional state; a relatively coarse preliminary test of a client’s judgment, orientation to time and place, and emotional and mental state; typically conducted during an initial interview. Mental status exam is also called as Mental status examination.


Other /More definition:
mental status exam refers to relatively coarse preliminary test of a client’s judgment, orientation to time and place, and emotional and mental state. It is typically conducted during an initial interview.