Explain panic disorder and treatment plan — CASC communication station

Station brief

Format. Communication station, approximately 7–10 minutes active time after reading. You are the psychiatry registrar in the outpatient clinic. [3]

Candidate instructions. Explain the diagnosis of panic disorder (and mild agoraphobia if raised), the false-alarm model in plain language, the rationale for CBT with exposure, the plan for sertraline including early side-effects and delayed benefit, and why long-term diazepam is not the goal. Check understanding and invite questions. The examiner plays the patient. [3]