SY501

Ollscoil na hireann
The National University of Ireland, Galway
FINAL MEDICAL EXAMINATION
PSYCHIATRY
Summer 2008
Time Allowed: Three hours
Professor C. McDonald
Professor M. Gill
Dr. L. Mannion
Dr. M.A.Smith

ANSWER FOUR QUESTIONS ONLY

***PLEASE USE SEPARATE ANSWER BOOK FOR EACH QUESTION***
QUESTIONS 1 & 2 ARE COMPULSORY
Q1.

(a) Describe the common forms of depression and how they might present.
(b) Comment on how they might be classified.
(c) Describe the treatment options for depression and how best they are applied in relation to
your answers to (a) and (b).

Q2.

A 46 year old man presents with a history of auditory hallucinations three days following an
alcohol binge. He gives a history of heavy drinking for 10 years. Outline your steps in short
term assessment and management of this case.

ANSWER TWO OF THE FOLLOWING FOUR QUESTIONS

Q3.

What would you tell a patient who is commencing treatment

(a) With Olanzapine for recent onset of schizophrenia
(b) With Venlafaxine for relapse of a recurrent depressive disorder
(c) With cognitive behavioural therapy for mixed anxiety and depression
(d) With benzodiazepines for acute withdrawal from two bottles wine/day for more than a
year.

Q4.

A 40 year old woman presents to her General Practitioner complaining of anxiety, inability to
concentrate, sleep disturbance with prominent nightmares and difficulty leaving her house
unaccompanied for the previous few weeks. Four months previously she had been a front seat
passenger in a car accident she was uninjured, but her husband, the driver, had sustained a
fractured right femur.
Outline how you would assess this patient and your differential diagnoses.
Describe the treatment approaches you would adopt in managing this patient.

Q5.

Write short notes on the clinical characteristics of the following phenomena. In each case list
the main differential diagnoses you would consider in a patient manifesting the feature:
(a) Loosening of associations
(b) Panic attacks
(c) Binge eating
(d) Thought broadcasting

Q6.

Discuss the diagnosis and treatment of Hyperkinetic Conduct Disorder in children and
adolescents.