Psych CASC / OSCE · General adult psychiatry
Explaining catatonia and treatment plan to family — CASC communication station
MRCPsych/FRANZCP-style station: explain catatonia in plain language, outline lorazepam and ECT rationale, address fear, and invite questions.
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Target exams
FRANZCPMRCPsychABPNMD-DNB
Prompt
A 29-year-old woman with depression has become mute, immobile, and is not eating. The team plans a lorazepam challenge and possible ECT if she does not improve. Her partner is frightened, asks if she has 'turned into a vegetable', and worries ECT will 'wipe her memory forever'.
Station brief
Format. Communication station, approximately 7–10 minutes after reading time. You are the psychiatry registrar. The patient is on the ward; you meet the partner. [1]
Candidate instructions. Explain what catatonia is in plain language, why it is treatable, the plan for a lorazepam trial and supportive care (fluids, clot prevention, monitoring), and a balanced explanation of ECT if needed. Avoid jargon dumps and invented legal section numbers. Check understanding and invite questions. [2][3]
References3ShowHide
- [1]Rosebush PI, Mazurek MF Catatonia and its treatment Schizophr Bull, 2010.PMID 19969591
- [2]Rogers JP, Oldham MA, Fricchione G, et al. Evidence-based consensus guidelines for the management of catatonia: Recommendations from the British Association for Psychopharmacology J Psychopharmacol, 2023.PMID 37039129
- [3]Bush G, Fink M, Petrides G, et al. Catatonia. II. Treatment with lorazepam and electroconvulsive therapy Acta Psychiatr Scand, 1996.PMID 8686484