Mental State / State of Mind

[Operario]

Are these expressions interchangeable ?

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

Thank you!

 

[emsr2d2]

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.

 

[Raymott]

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.

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.

 

[Operario]

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.