The purpose of the mental health assessment is to gather information in order to identify a patient's psychosocial problems, strengths, and concerns. The information will help caregivers analyze the patient's mental, emotional, and behavioral status, and formulate and evaluate his treatment plan.

Essential elements of the assessment include:

• Chief complaint
• Biographic data
• Socioeconomic data
• Cultural and spiritual beliefs
• Personal history
• Psychiatric history
• Psychosocial history
• Family history
• Medical and surgical history
• Medication history (current and prior)
• Mental status evaluation

The mental status evaluation is a tool used for assessing psychological dysfunction and identifying causes of psychopathology. It examines the patient's:

• General appearance
• Behavior
• Speech
• Mood and affect
• Intellectual performance
• Judgment
• Insight
• Perception
• Thought content