How is altered mental status typically assessed?

Assessing altered mental status is primarily about understanding a person's level of consciousness and cognitive function. Evaluating responsiveness is the most effective method for this assessment, as it involves determining how a person reacts to stimuli, such as verbal commands, physical touch, or painful stimuli. This helps to gauge whether they are alert, drowsy, confused, or unresponsive.

While other measures, such as speech clarity or vital signs like blood pressure and temperature, can provide additional context about a patient's condition, they do not directly assess mental status. Speech clarity may indicate issues related to neurological function, but it does not provide a comprehensive evaluation of responsiveness. Similarly, blood pressure and temperature can reflect physiological states but are not reliable indicators of cognitive function or consciousness. Therefore, evaluating responsiveness remains the key assessment for identifying altered mental status.