Mental State / State of Mind

Are these expressions interchangeable ?

Would a doctor say "We need to evaluate the patient's state of mind" ?

Thank you!

No. "State of mind" could just mean that he is sad, happy, worried, concerned, anxious, ecstatic etc. His "mental state" suggests something far more clinical, such as schizophrenic, bi-polar, depressed, manic.

emsr2d2 said:

No. "State of mind" could just mean that he is sad, happy, worried, concerned, anxious, ecstatic etc. His "mental state" suggests something far more clinical, such as schizophrenic, bi-polar, depressed, manic.

Click to expand...

That's true of usage in a medical context. They mean the same thing though, and in some contexts they could both be used. "Police investigators are trying to work out the suspect's mental state/state of mind at the time of the crime." This covers both 'normal' and pathological mental states.

That's great guys, thank you very much once again. I was really thinking whether it would or not be technically correct in a medical context.