Psychiatric Interviewing Skills for Medical Students

30 scenarios across 9 psychiatry domains

Here you can browse through descriptions of 30 scenarios under 9 different domains. All scenarios are based on real life clinical practice. Relevant scenarios have checklist slides for easy download and reference. The videos impart interviewing techniques and buzzwords, showing you how to tackle each clinical scenario in a structured manner.

1. Mood Disorders

Perinatal history taking
Risk assessment
Medication and pregnancy
Medication and breastfeeding

Take a competent perinatal history and perform a risk-benefit analysis regarding the management of postnatal depression. Explain the role of medications and psychological strategies in not only breastfeeding but also when planning the next pregnancy. The slides outline the latest evidence.

Detailed assessment of depression
Risk assessment
Precipitating, predisposing and maintaining factors in depression
Management of depression
Differentiating between bipolar and unipolar depression

Complete a competent assessment of an extremely common and potentially serious condition, and equip yourself with knowledge of the relevant bio-psycho-socio-cultural predisposing, precipitating and perpetuating factors to devise a formulation. Manage a case of depression confidently.

Understanding symptoms and stages of grief
Understanding symptoms and signs of abnormal grief
Differentiating between grief and major depressive disorder

Perform a diagnostic assessment on a patient who has recently lost a family member in a car accident.

Psychoeducation about grief
Stages of grief
Explaining the difference between grief and depression

Provide psychoeducation about grief outlining the key stages of grief.

Assessment of acute psychosis
Risk assessment
Management

Perform a competent assessment of psychosis and risk in a time limited setting.

History taking in insomnia
Psychoeducation
Management of insomnia

Obtain a complete history of insomnia, diagnose the type of insomnia and exclude psychiatric disorders. Provide psychoeducation regarding treatment strategies. The slides outline the types of insomnia and evidence based strategies in the management of insomnia.

2. Anxiety & Obsessive Compulsive Disorders

History taking in anxiety disorder
Diagnosing anxiety disorders
Psychoeducation about anxiety to patient
Explanation of treatment strategies to patient

Take a history in a patient presenting with anxiety and diagnose the appropriate anxiety disorder. Provide the patient with the explanation of anxiety and management strategies, including a detailed explanation of psychological strategies to manage anxiety. The slides contain a section on anxiety disorders and their evidence based management.

History taking in OCD
Ruling out co-morbidities
Explanation of exposure and response prevention
Evidence based management of OCD

Obtain a competent history in OCD and provide psychoeducation to the patient including explanation of exposure and response prevention. The slides outline the evidence based guidelines for the management of OCD.

History taking in PTSD
Ruling out co-morbidities
Evidence based management of PTSD

Take a competent history of post-traumatic stress disorder and manage the case based on evidence based principles. Provide psychoeducation to the patient including explanations of trauma focused psychological therapies.

History Taking in Panic disorder and Agoraphobia
Psychoeducation of panic disorder
Explanation of cognitive behavioural therapy

Take a history of anxiety symptoms. Establish a diagnosis of the type of anxiety disorder and provide focused psychoeducation. Explain cognitive behavioural therapy to the patie

Take a focused history examining mood, behaviour and cognitions
Explain principles and core components of CBT
Apply CBT techniques to the patients specific cognitions and behaviours

Take a focused history from the patient examining mood symptoms, behaviour and cognitions and explain to the patient the application of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for anxiety specific to her needs.

Psychoeducation to parent on BDD
Explanation of aetiology of BDD
Explanation of treatment
Explanation of key principles in psychological treatment

Provide psychoeducation about Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) to a concerned parent. Outline the treatment options explaining the key principles in psychological treatment for BDD.

Diagnostic assessment in BDD

Obtaining a competent history in a patient who is concerned about her appearance. Special thanks to Prof David Castle, expert on BDD, for his input.

3. Psychotic Disorders

Addressing myths
Explanation of bio-psycho-social treatment options

Sensitively address the important concerns in schizophrenia to a family member and explain competently the important aspects regarding the treatment based on bio-psycho-social principles.

Assessment of acute psychosis
Risk assessment
Management

Perform a competent assessment of psychosis and risk in a time limited setting.

History taking in temporal lobe epilepsy
Relationship between psychiatric disorders and epilepsy
Medications and epilepsy

Take a competent history from a patient with a particular focus on the presentation of temporal lobe epilepsy and its relationship with psychiatric disorders.

4. Drug and Alcohol Disorders

History taking in alcohol use
Differentiating between dependence and misuse
Perform motivational interviewing
Evidence based management strategies

Take a competent history of alcohol use to differentiate between misuse and dependence. Perform a motivational interview which is an effective tool in affecting change as part of management. This will prove beneficial in the exams and your clinical practice, as alcohol dependence / misuse is commonly encountered. The slides outline evidence based bio-psycho-social management strategies.

5. Mental State Examination Components

Memory tests
Parietal lobe examination
Frontal lobe examination

Perform a competitive cognitive examination which covers the basic MMSE and the important additional parietal lobe and frontal lobe tests to inform clinical practice. The tests are based on well known textbooks and interpretations explained.

Psychosis assessment
Mood assessment
Anxiety assessment
OCD assessment
Risk assessment
Assessment of insight and judgement

Perform a competent mental state examination in limited time. This will benefit you for the exam and be extremely relevant in your clinical practice.

6. Family Interviews

Psychoeducation to a family member about Alzheimer’s dementia
Knowledge of Lewy body type dementia
Treatment of Alzheimer’s dementia
Bio-psycho-socio-cultural approach to management
Carer burden

Provide psychoeducation to a family member about Alzheimer’s dementia including the management and psychosocial aspects.

7. Miscellaneous Assessments in Psychiatry

Diagnostic interviewing in eating disorder
Obtaining information for a bio-psychosocial formulation
Physical examination in eating disorder
Management of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa

Complete a competent diagnostic interview, outline the predisposing, precipitating and perpetuating risk factors for a case formulation, and perform a brief physical examination in a patient with eating disorder. The slides outline the evidence based management of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.

History taking in insomnia
Psychoeducation
Management of insomnia

Risk assessment in a self-harm / suicide attempt
Diagnostic interview to assess personality disorder (borderline type)
Crisis intervention

Take a relevant history of a self harm / suicide attempt to establish the severity of the attempt and exclude any major mental illness. Ask the relevant questions to assess Borderline Personality Traits and devise a relevant crisis management plan with the patient. The slides cover evidence based psychological and pharmacological strategies for the management of Borderline Personality Disorder.

History taking of behavioural disturbance in a Consultation-Liaison setting
Management of delirium
Knowledge of Alcohol withdrawal and its management
Non-pharmacological management of delirium

Take a history from a nursing colleague in a Consultation-Liaison setting about behavioural disturbance on the surgical ward. Explain the diagnosis and management.