Wednesday, February 03, 2010
The aim of the Mental Status Examination is to obtain a detailed profile of an individual's mental state. When coupled with their social, work and psychological history, the accumulated information allows the clinician to make an accurate diagnosis and plan the most effective treatment.
Exam...
Hi Christine, This is good information for anyone exploring the site looking for information about Alzheimer's testing. The MMSE is certainly a very common first step for most people. A follow up test is often done at six month (or longer) intervals, using the first test as a base line measurement. The follow up tests may reveal changes in memory impairment that would be useful in tracking the progress of an illness or deciding to order CT scans or other imaging tests to look for brain atrophy or any other changes to the brain's surface tissue. Great post! -- Joe
Hi Joe
Thank you for your additional important information on the use of tests, such as the MMSE, being used for base line measurements too.
Christine