Mental status tests

Memory; Word comprehension; Orientation; Attention span; Cognitive tests

• Orientation to person, place, and time
• Normal attention span
• Normal judgment
• Normal recent memory
• Normal remote memory
• Normal word comprehension, reading, and writing

Each test can identify different possible problems, as described below.

ORIENTATION

Typically, orientation to time is first to be lost, followed by orientation to place, then to person. There are many possible causes for disorientation:

• Alcohol intoxication
• Drugs such as:
  • Atropine
  • Chloroquine
  • Cimetidine
  • CNS depressants in large doses
  • Cycloserine
  • Indomethacin
  • Lidocaine
  • Oral digitalis medicines
  • Withdrawal from narcotics and barbiturates
• Environmental causes such as:
  • Heat stroke
  • Heavy metal poisoning
  • Hypothermia
  • Methanol poisoning
• Fluid and electrolyte imbalance
• Head trauma or concussion
• Low blood sugar
• Low oxygen in the blood (hypoxemia)
• Nutritional deficiencies, especially lack of:
  • Niacin
  • Thiamine
  • Vitamin B12
  • Vitamin C
• Organic brain syndrome

ATTENTION SPAN

People who are unable to complete a thought, or are easily distracted, may have an abnormal attention span. This may have a number of causes, including:

• Attention deficit disorder (ADD)
• Confusion
• Histrionic personality disorder
• Manic depressive illness
• Schizophrenia

RECENT AND REMOTE MEMORY

A medical disorder may cause loss of recent memory but keep remote memory intact. Remote memory is lost when damage to the upper part of the brain occurs in diseases such as Alzheimer's disease.

See also: Memory loss

WORD COMPREHENSION, READING, AND WRITING

These tests screen for language disorder (aphasia). Some causes of aphasia include:

• Head trauma
• Senile dementia (Alzheimer's type)
• Stroke
• Transient ischemic attack

JUDGMENT

The ability to decide the right course of action is important to survival in many situations. The following are some causes of impaired judgment:

• Emotional dysfunction
• Mental retardation
• Organic brain syndrome
• Schizophrenia