The Psychiatric interview is the most important component of a psychiatric evaluation. The style, format, and duration of the interview are subject to change depending upon the context and the setting.

Let's first discuss safety, positioning, introductions, and how to approach patients for a psychiatric interview. 

The Mental Status Exam is analogous to the Physical Examination for other medical specialties. The MSE allows the clinician to document a patient's appearance, behaviors, mood state, affect, thoughts, judgement, and level of insight. This can provide valuable information about the patient when another clinician reviews the chart.