Psych CASC / OSCE · General adult psychiatry — somatic symptom and related disorders
Explain somatic symptom disorder and a collaborative care plan — CASC communication station
MRCPsych/FRANZCP-style communication station: non-dualistic SSD explanation, both–and model, stepped care, CBT rationale, limits of scanning, and safety-netting.
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Study tools
Target exams
FRANZCPMRCPsychABPNMD-DNB
Prompt
A 41-year-old patient newly given a working diagnosis of somatic symptom disorder after extensive negative investigations wants a plain-language explanation. They fear you are saying the symptoms are fake, ask whether cancer is still possible, want another whole-body scan today, and need a plan that includes CBT, scheduled GP visits, treatment of depression, and clear red-flag advice.
Station brief
Format. Communication station, approximately 7–10 minutes active time after reading. You are the psychiatry registrar in the outpatient/C-L clinic. [2]
Candidate instructions. Explain SSD in plain language without dualism, outline a collaborative stepped plan (scheduled GP care, CBT, treat depression), address the request for another immediate whole-body scan with red-flag safety-netting, and check understanding. The examiner plays the patient. [1][2]
References5ShowHide
- [1]Dimsdale JE, Creed F, Escobar J, et al. Somatic symptom disorder: an important change in DSM J Psychosom Res, 2013.PMID 23972410
- [2]Henningsen P, Zipfel S, Herzog W Management of functional somatic syndromes Lancet, 2007.PMID 17368156
- [3]Barsky AJ, Ahern DK Cognitive behavior therapy for hypochondriasis: a randomized controlled trial JAMA, 2004.PMID 15039413
- [4]Tyrer P, Cooper S, Salkovskis P, et al. Clinical and cost-effectiveness of cognitive behaviour therapy for health anxiety in medical patients: a multicentre randomised controlled trial Lancet, 2014.PMID 24139977
- [5]Barsky AJ, Ahern DK, Bauer MR, et al. A randomized trial of treatments for high-utilizing somatizing patients J Gen Intern Med, 2013.PMID 23494213