Explain late-life GAD treatment and benzodiazepine taper to patient and daughter — CASC communication station

Station brief

Format. Communication station, approximately 7–10 minutes active time after reading. You are the psychiatry registrar in the old-age outpatient clinic. [1]

Candidate instructions. Explain late-life generalised anxiety disorder in plain language; outline CBT and SSRI treatment; explain why long-term benzodiazepines are risky in older adults and how a slow taper works; mention blood sodium checks; safety-net for worsening mood or suicidal thoughts; check understanding. Examiner plays the patient; a second role-player may be the daughter. [2][3]