Neuropsychiatric assessment

The chapter gives an approach to the neuropsychiatric assessment including the history, the mental state examination, and the neurological examination. History is vital to neuropsychiatric assessment and the chapter guides on how to elicit the physical and psychological symptoms and, most importantly, give a clear chronology of how these developed. Different time courses are then related to different pathological processes. The skill of observing behaviour (e.g. responses to environment) is emphasized for the mental state examination and the cognitive examination is covered in detail, with key neuropsychological terms defined. A scheme for a screening neurological examination is given, with attention on observing voluntary and involuntary movement. Approaches are provided to three particularly challenging clinical presentations: patients with functional symptoms, patients who are mute, and patients who are catatonic.