title: Assessing mental status. With these challenging patients, you'll need facts, not opinions.
abstract: A patient with diminished mental status must be evaluated carefully to rule out organic or traumatic reasons for the condition, as well as to identify possible causes, such as drug ingestion.
authors.affiliation: Acadian Ambulance, Louisiana, USA.
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Grayson
authors.forename: William E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Gandy
mesh_terms: D003244:Consciousness Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D019937:Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures; D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D006801:Humans