SCA practice case · Video consultation
Mental health: SCA practice case
A teenager’s low mood, with a parent nearby
Video consultation
Young person
Hard
Children & young peopleMental health & addictionGender, reproductive & sexual health
The candidate brief
This is what you would read in the 3-minute window before the patient connects. Read it once, note two or three hypotheses and one thing you must not miss, then stop.
Patient
Samantha (Sam) Whitaker · 15-year-old, registered female
Setting
Video consultation with a 15-year-old alone in their bedroom; the parent who booked it is in the next room.
Past history
- Mild asthma
- Seen by school nurse 6 months ago for low mood; no follow-up recorded
Medication
- Salbutamol inhaler 100 micrograms 2 puffs when required
Allergies
No known drug allergies
Recent notes
Mother rang reception yesterday: ’Sam very low, not sleeping, stays in room, grades dropping; please can a doctor speak to them.’ Booked as a video consultation after school. Lives with mother and younger brother (9); parents separated. Year 10.
Reason for contact
Video consultation booked by mother. Sam is on the call alone from their bedroom; mother is in the next room.
Practise this case
The full case is in the Hot Seat with the Gold plan. You get a 12-minute timer, a role-player script with facts released only when asked, examiner checkpoints by the three RCGP domains, a model consultation and the guidance behind it.
What this case tests
Show the learning points (spoiler: read after you have practised)
A 15-year-old’s request for privacy is the key that unlocks the consultation. Explain confidentiality and its limits, then listen. Gender distress, self-harm, bullying and unsafe binding emerge only if the young person feels safe. The GP must assess risk properly, answer the question about blockers honestly in line with current UK restrictions, steer away from online hormones, make the referral that opens both mental health and gender pathways, and negotiate what the parent needs to know.
The guidance behind it
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