Q&A: What is a Minimally Conscious State?

Doctor looking at MRI scans

The Minimally Conscious State is a condition of severely altered consciousness, where there is minimal evidence of any form of awareness. Doctors are trying to draw up medical definitions of the condition - and that of similar states - such as vegetative state and locked-in syndrome, amid ethical and legal debates.

The condition may arise when someone has gone through a coma into what is known as a vegetative state, where they are "awake" but unaware.

How does Minimally Conscious State differ from a coma?

How do doctors tell what state a person is in?

What is a vegetative state?

What are the criteria for the Minimally Conscious State?

What future do patients face?

Sources: Headway, Patient UK, NHS Choices