Psych Vivas · Psychotherapy — combined treatment
Combining psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy — structured clinical viva
Fellowship viva on concurrent vs sequential combination, Cuijpers/DeRubeis/Hollon/Guidi–Fava/Frank evidence, residual symptoms, and shared decision-making.
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Target exams
FRANZCPMRCPsychABPNMD-DNB
Prompt
You are the psychiatry registrar. A 36-year-old woman with recurrent major depression (three lifetime episodes) has remitted on escitalopram 20 mg oral daily but still has residual anhedonia, avoidance of social contact, and fear of relapse. She asks whether combination treatment means she has 'failed' monotherapy, whether she should stop the SSRI now that she feels better, and whether CBT will 'clash' with tablets. Discuss models of combination, landmark evidence, sequential residual-symptom care, relapse prevention, and how you explain integrated care without ideology.
Interpretation
Reveal interpretationShowHide
Markers want a consultant-level account of combination as strategy (not failure, not dogma), sequential residual-symptom psychotherapy after pharmacologic response, durability of CT skills versus medication discontinuation risk, maintenance needs in recurrent depression, and plain-language explanation without anti-medication or anti-therapy ideology.[1][3][4]
References6ShowHide
- [1]Cuijpers P, Sijbrandij M, Koole SL, et al. Adding psychotherapy to antidepressant medication in depression and anxiety disorders: a meta-analysis World Psychiatry, 2014.PMID 24497254
- [2]DeRubeis RJ, Hollon SD, Amsterdam JD, et al. Cognitive therapy vs medications in the treatment of moderate to severe depression Arch Gen Psychiatry, 2005.PMID 15809408
- [3]Hollon SD, DeRubeis RJ, Shelton RC, et al. Prevention of relapse following cognitive therapy vs medications in moderate to severe depression Arch Gen Psychiatry, 2005.PMID 15809409
- [4]Guidi J, Fava GA Sequential Combination of Pharmacotherapy and Psychotherapy in Major Depressive Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis JAMA Psychiatry, 2021.PMID 33237285
- [5]Frank E, Kupfer DJ, Perel JM, et al. Three-year outcomes for maintenance therapies in recurrent depression Arch Gen Psychiatry, 1990.PMID 2244793
- [6]Cuijpers P, Noma H, Karyotaki E, et al. A network meta-analysis of the effects of psychotherapies, pharmacotherapies and their combination in the treatment of adult depression World Psychiatry, 2020.PMID 31922679