Determining mood and affect is an important part of the mental status exam.Although both of these terms refer to feeling states of the individual,how does mood differ from affect?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Mood refers to a pervasive and sustained emotional state, whereas affect refers to the expression of emotion in facial expressions, tone of voice, and body language. In other words, mood is the subjective experience of feeling, while affect is the outward expression of that feeling. Therefore, mood is more pervasive than affect.

Determining Mood and Affect Is an Important Part of the Mental