Although the mental state examination starts from initial contact between the physician and the patient, it primarily takes place during history-taking. During the anamnesis, the physician observes the patient and explores their complaints and experiences. The next stage is an in-depth exploration of the patient’s psychiatric history, the use of drugs/medications, the psychiatric/somatic family history, biography, general physical history, and a physical examination.
The physician tries to establish whether the current mental state may be associated with a diagnosis and formulates differential diagnoses. Additional laboratory tests, medical imaging, or psychological testing are sometimes necessary to support a diagnosis or, more often, to exclude differential diagnostic considerations.
