During the major part of a psychiatric interview the doctor gathers information about the the presenting complaint and its history. The history provides a description of how symptoms developed and how they have evolved with time.

In contrast to this historical information, the mental state examination is a statement of the patient's symptoms at the time of the interview. It is a "snap-shot" of the psychiatric state of the patient.

As for a physical examination it is important to be thorough when performing a mental state examination. A suggested structure for the examination is given in this section.