Clinical psychiatry (long case)

These books were aimed at psychiatrists preparing for the old Part 2 clinical exam. They remain useful for the new MRCPsych CASC examination. As with any clinical exam, the more you practice, the better your performance in the exam will be. The books listed on this page will help to improve your mark if accompanied by practice.

	MRCPsych Part 2: Clinical Exam: Long Case Presentations
	2006
	Author: S Murthy \| Publisher: Royal Society of Medicine Press

	Broken down into easy-to read chapters, this text covers all of the different components in the Part 2 clinical exam. Highlighting the areas to be focused on, in order to pass the long case presentation, each task is discussed in detail in the relevant chapters. Candidates are provided with useful recommendations when examining a patient within the time constraints and are offered invaluable tips on how to organise their thoughts before the interview with the examiners. This book will not only allow candidates to prepare for the examination but will also help them to face clinical situations confidently and effectively. An ideal revision tool for those sitting the MRCPsych examination, this book is also an essential resource for the junior doctor who may have just started psychiatric training. This title is also recommended to all candidates preparing for the MRCPsych examinations, qualified psychologists, psychiatric nurses, social workers and other mental health professionals, wishing to refresh their knowledge.
	Verdict: Comprehensive one-stop solution to the long case exam. Covers history taking, examination (mental & physical), diagnosis, aetiology, investigations, managment and prognosis. Also covers the observed interview. Difficult to read as there is poor use of white space and each disorder is dealt with in several places.

	Synthesis of Psychiatric Cases
	1999
	Author: V Schnieden \| Publisher: Greenwich Medical Media

	This book is aimed at the clinical part of postgraduate psychiatry examinations. Each chapter gives clear information on a classic case. In addition, a number of hypothetical cases are included in order to illustrate how varied presentations can be and the important issues for one case are not necessarily the same as another, despite a similar diagnosis. The book incorporates DSM IV diagnostic criteria together with essential differential diagnoses and management plans. This allows the trainee to build on their theoretical knowledge whilst at the same time emphasising the relevant clinical issues for each patient.
	Verdict: Details the key points in the history and examination for patients presenting with a range of psychiatric disorders. Each section covers one clinical diagnosis and can be read in isolation, facilitating revision. Also includes sample long cases. Less exam-orientated than Murthy's book.

	The Presentations of Clinical Psychiatry
	2000
	Author: RC Cohen \| Publisher: Quay Books

	This book is intended as an introduction to the evidence-based medicine of psychiatry. It focuses upon ten of the more common clinical conditions seen by psychiatrists, eg alcoholism, anorexia nervosa, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder and schizophrenia. Each condition is examined within a chapter, which is divided into three sections. The first section lists many of the features of the condition, the second features an introductory essay that outlines the condition and explains some of the more technical language involved, and the final section contains an essay on the background to the variety of literature that centres upon the condition and gives support to the evidence highlighted in the section.
	Verdict: Good readable account of the features and management of the commonent psychiatric disorders. Goes further than just listing facts by discussing the key points of each disorder. Will improve your confidence to discuss long cases.

	Cognitive Assessment for Clinicians
	1994
	Author: JR Hodges \| Publisher: Oxford University Press

	Provides a practical approach to the assessment of patients with disorders of cognitive function - such as memory and language impairment. Beginning with theoretical background of cognitive testing and an overview of cognitive functions, divided into those with a distributed or localized neural basis. There is a description of common neuropsychological syndromes including delirium, dementia, amnesia, aphasia, agnosia, and neglect. There have been enormous advances in this field in the last decade and the author incorporates these advances in theory and provides a practical approach to bedside cognitive testing with some tips on physical examination. There are 12 case histories to illustrate the advocated approach. Standardized mental test schedules, such as the Mini Mental State Examination, are discussed and there is an appendix which describes commonly used neuropsychological tests. > Distributed cognitive functions - a general theoretical framework, attention and concentration, memory, higher-order cognitive function, personality, and behaviour, delirium, dementia > localized cognitive functions - language, disorders of reading - the dyslexia, disorders of writing - the dysgraphias, syndromes of calculating impairment, disorders of praxis - the apraxias, damage to specialized right hemisphere functions, unilateral neglect, dressing apraxia, constructional ability, complex visuo-perceptual abilities - the agnosias > cognitive history-taking and tips and physical examination - the patient interview, the informant interview, family history, past medical history, alcohol intake, tips on physical examination > testing cognitive function at the bedside - general observations, orientation and attention, memory, frontal executive functions > dominant (left) hemisphere function - language, reading, writing, calculation, apraxia > right-hemisphere functions - neglect phenomena, dressing apraxia, constructional ability, complex visuo-perceptual abilities and the agnosias, checklist for testing cognitive function > illustrative cases > standardized mental test schedules - their uses and abuses - introduction, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), information-memory-concentration test - American modification by Fuld, Hodkinson mental test, dementia rating scale (DRS), Cambridge Cognitive Examination (CAMCOG). > Appendix: neuropsychological tests.
	Verdict: Improves confidence in cognitive assessment.