Psych CASC / OSCE · Consultation-liaison psychiatry
Explaining dementia diagnosis, BPSD plan, and antipsychotic caution to family — CASC communication station
MRCPsych/FRANZCP-style station: explain major NCD in plain language, non-drug BPSD plan, cholinesterase inhibitor expectations, antipsychotic mortality caution, and capacity/placement principles without jargon dumps.
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Station brief
Format. Communication station, approximately 7–10 minutes after reading time. You are the psychiatry registrar. The medical team has asked you to speak with the son. [1]
Candidate instructions. Explain dementia/major neurocognitive disorder in accessible language; describe why acute hospital agitation may be delirium on dementia; outline non-drug first steps for behavioural symptoms; set realistic expectations for cognitive enhancers; explain why antipsychotics are not routine and carry increased mortality risk; discuss planning for supports and decision-making without inventing legal section numbers. [2][3][4][5]
References5ShowHide
- [1]Livingston G, Huntley J, Sommerlad A, et al. Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2020 report of the Lancet Commission Lancet, 2020.PMID 32738937
- [2]Schneider LS, Dagerman KS, Insel P Risk of death with atypical antipsychotic drug treatment for dementia: meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials JAMA, 2005.PMID 16234500
- [3]Kales HC, Gitlin LN, Lyketsos CG Assessment and management of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia BMJ, 2015.PMID 25731881
- [4]Howard R, McShane R, Lindesay J, et al. Donepezil and memantine for moderate-to-severe Alzheimer's disease N Engl J Med, 2012.PMID 22397651
- [5]Appelbaum PS, Grisso T Assessing patients' capacities to consent to treatment N Engl J Med, 1988.PMID 3200278