Question

What are the components of a mental status exam

“no suicide” contracts, and why are these important?

Answer 1

Ans) Components of the
Mental Status Exam
• Appearance
• Behavior
• Speech
• Mood
• Affect
• Thought process
• Thought content
• Cognition
• Insight/Judgment

• The Mental Status Exam (MSE) is the psychological equivalent of a physical exam that describes the mental state and behaviors of the person being seen. It includes both objective observations of the clinician and subjective descriptions given by the patient.

- The first and most important section of no-suicide contracts is the unequivocal agreement that the individual signing the contract will, under no circumstances, die by suicide. Then the next section lists names and phone numbers that an individual needs to call if he or she becomes suicidal.

- No-suicide contracts also need to emphasize that the individual must call 911 or the local emergencey number if he or she is in immediate danger of dying by suicide; and if the suicidal thoughts are relatively mild, then he or she will call 1-800-SUICIDE or any of the other listed numbers.

- By the way, unlike traditional contracts which can be long, complex, and filled with abstrus legalese, no-suicide contracts need to be very short and easy to understand. Anything that is not necessary should not be put in the contract.

- After the agreement has been completed, both parties sign and date the contract.

- The objectives of no-suicide contracts include:

1) Establishing a mindset in which the individual realizes that it is never okay to die by suicide.

2) Giving the person a way to get help if he or she is suicidal -- most people are in deep emotional pain, very confused, and unsure of what to do when they are suicidal, so by writing down a list of things to do and people to contact, they will not have to "think things out" - the information will be right in front of them.

Anyone who has been (or is potentially) suicidal should sign a no-suicide contract with his clinician and with family or friends.

After the contract is signed, review the terms of the contract and make sure that there are no misunderstandings about what will be done if the individual becomes suicidal.

And, most importantly, make sure that the individual agrees that he or she will not die by suicide under any circumstances.

Lastly, ensure, that the no-suicide contract is kept in a secure place and is easy to find. So if the individual who signed it becomes suicidal, he or she will be able to easily find it.