Estimation of Appearance, Behaviour and Sensorium (Mental State Examination — Part 1)

1. Overview & Where This Sits in the MSE

The Mental State Examination (MSE) is the psychiatric equivalent of the physical examination: a structured snapshot of the patient's mental functioning at the moment of the interview. The UD Department of Psychiatry teaches the mental state around three core elements — cognition, behaviour, and emotions — preceded by the things you record before the patient says a word: appearance, behaviour, and speech.

This topic covers Part 1 of the MSE — the parts you assess by observation rather than by questioning:

• Appearance — what the patient looks like.
• Behaviour / psychomotor activity — how the patient moves and ac