Psychiatry Prometric Exam

Administered by Dubai Health Authority (DHA)

Duration: 3 Hours

Number of Questions: 150

Pass Score: 65%

Fee: USD 280

Exam Code: PSY5961

Key Exam Insights for DHA Psychiatry Exam Blueprint:

This exam consists of 150 MCQs and lasts 3 hours. Below is a breakdown of the key areas and what to focus on for each section:

Exam Coverage:

1. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

   • Focus: Developmental disorders, mood and anxiety disorders in youth, ADHD, and behavior disorders.
   • Tips:
     • Study developmental milestones and assessment techniques for children.
     • Familiarize yourself with the management of ADHD, conduct disorder, and mood disorders in adolescents.

2. Public Psychiatry / Geriatric Psychiatry

   • Focus: Community mental health, care for the elderly, cognitive disorders, and age-related mental health issues.
   • Tips:
     • Understand the principles of community psychiatry, including preventive and rehabilitative strategies.
     • Study dementia, delirium, and the pharmacologic considerations for elderly patients.

3. Emergency Psychiatry

   • Focus: Acute psychiatric crises, suicide risk assessment, and management of agitation.
   • Tips:
     • Be familiar with crisis intervention, managing suicidal ideation, and techniques to de-escalate aggressive behavior.
     • Study emergency protocols for managing psychotic breaks and severe mood disturbances.

4. Anxiety Disorders / Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders / Trauma and Stress-Related Disorders

   • Focus: Diagnostic criteria and treatment for anxiety, OCD, PTSD, and acute stress disorder.
   • Tips:
     • Review pharmacologic and psychotherapeutic treatments for anxiety disorders and OCD.
     • Study trauma-informed care and evidence-based approaches for PTSD.

5. Depressive Disorders / Bipolar and Related Disorders

   • Focus: Major depressive disorder, bipolar spectrum disorders, and mood disorder management.
   • Tips:
     • Understand the pharmacologic treatments, including mood stabilizers and antidepressants.
     • Familiarize yourself with the signs, symptoms, and diagnostic criteria of bipolar and depressive disorders.

6. Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders

   • Focus: Psychotic disorders, schizoaffective disorder, and management of psychosis.
   • Tips:
     • Study antipsychotic medications, both first-generation and second-generation, and their side effects.
     • Review the psychosocial interventions and rehabilitation options for psychosis management.

7. Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders

   • Focus: Addiction, withdrawal syndromes, and the pharmacologic and psychotherapeutic management of substance abuse.
   • Tips:
     • Understand the neurobiology of addiction and the stages of withdrawal for common substances.
     • Study the use of medications like methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone in addiction treatment.

8. Personality Disorders

   • Focus: Diagnostic criteria for various personality disorders, especially borderline, antisocial, and narcissistic personality disorders.
   • Tips:
     • Familiarize yourself with the characteristics of cluster A, B, and C personality disorders.
     • Study therapeutic approaches, including dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) for borderline personality disorder.

9. Psychosomatic Medicine (Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry) / Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders

   • Focus: Interactions between physical and mental health, somatic symptom disorder, and consultation in medical settings.
   • Tips:
     • Review the role of psychiatry in managing patients with chronic physical illnesses.
     • Study conversion disorder, illness anxiety disorder, and approaches to psychosomatic complaints.

10. Psychotherapy / Psychosocial Interventions

    • Focus: Types of psychotherapy, including CBT, DBT, and psychodynamic therapy, and their applications.
    • Tips:
      • Study indications and contraindications for different psychotherapeutic approaches.
      • Understand the basics of therapeutic alliance, transference, and countertransference.

11. Basic Psychopharmacology / Physical Therapy (ECT and others)

    • Focus: Common psychiatric medications, ECT, and other physical treatments for mental health disorders.
    • Tips:
      • Review pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of psychotropic medications.
      • Understand the indications, mechanisms, and side effects of ECT and other physical therapies.

12. Forensic Psychiatry

    • Focus: Legal aspects of psychiatry, including competency, criminal responsibility, and risk assessment.
    • Tips:
      • Familiarize yourself with ethical and legal issues, including confidentiality and informed consent.
      • Study forensic evaluation techniques and guidelines for reporting.

13. Patient Safety & Professionalism and Ethics

    • Focus: Ethical principles, patient safety protocols, and the role of professionalism in psychiatry.
    • Tips:
      • Understand issues related to confidentiality, consent, and the psychiatrist-patient relationship.
      • Review case studies in psychiatry ethics, focusing on challenging scenarios in mental health practice.

General Study Strategies:

1. Blueprint Review:
   Start by understanding the weight of each section, with a focus on high-yield topics like mood disorders, psychosis, and anxiety disorders.

2. Textbook Reference:
   Utilize references such as "Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry" and the "New Oxford Textbook of Psychiatry" for detailed content.

3. Practice Questions:
   Use psychiatry-specific question banks to reinforce key concepts and assess readiness.

4. Mock Exams:
   Simulate exam conditions to get comfortable with the timing and question format.

5. Ethics and Forensic Psychiatry:
   Place emphasis on ethics, patient safety, and forensic aspects, as these are crucial for real-world application and high-yield in exams.

By tailoring your study strategy to this blueprint, you’ll be well-prepared for the specific content distribution and time pressures of the DHA Psychiatry Prometric Exam.