The mental status examination is a vital assessment tool to evaluate cognitive abilities and diagnose cognitive disorders.
The primary initial assessment typically conducted when suspecting someone of having a cognitive disorder is the mental status examination. This examination systematically evaluates the patient through questions assessing various aspects of cognitive abilities such as memory, language, and orientation.
The mental status exam is a crucial tool to determine if further assessment is needed and can help in diagnosing cognitive impairments. It involves evaluating the patient's appearance, behavior, thought processes, mood, and intellectual functioning.
One commonly used test for assessing cognitive impairment is the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE), which measures various cognitive functions such as memory, attention, language, orientation, comprehension, and motor skills.
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