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MRCGP AKT → Mental health, alcohol and substance misuse

Mental health, alcohol and substance misuse for MRCGP AKT

Mental health, alcohol and substance misuse accounts for roughly 6.5% of the MRCGP AKT blueprint. This bank has 1 item tagged to it.

How much of MRCGP AKT is mental health, alcohol and substance misuse?

Around 6.5% of the paper, per RCGP GP curriculum (2025). That weighting is why the DocPasser mock builder samples sections in proportion rather than shuffling everything into one pile — practising a flat distribution trains you for a paper that does not exist.

Verification status. All 3 published figures on this page have been read in the source document and dated above. Source of truth: RCGP GP curriculum (2025), Royal College of General Practitioners. How we verify.

Sample mental health, alcohol and substance misuse questions

A 46-year-old woman has taken sertraline 100 mg for 8 months for a first episode of moderate depression. She has felt well for the last 5 months. She asks if she can stop. Which is the most appropriate advice?

  1. Continue for life, because a first episode predicts more episodes Wrong. Long-term treatment is for people with repeated episodes or other strong risk factors, not after one episode.
  2. Switch to a different antidepressant before stopping Wrong. The sertraline worked and she tolerates it. There is no reason to change drugs.
  3. Stop today, because she has been well for five months Wrong. She has not reached 6 months of remission, and stopping an SSRI suddenly causes withdrawal symptoms.
  4. Continue for at least 6 months after she got better, then reduce slowly correct Correct. NICE says antidepressants should usually continue for at least 6 months after remission, because stopping early raises the chance of relapse. She is at 5 months. When she stops, she should taper the dose, not stop suddenly.
  5. Halve the dose now and stop in two weeks Wrong. This is too fast, and cutting the dose before 6 months of remission risks relapse as well as withdrawal symptoms.

The point: Antidepressants: continue for at least 6 months after remission, then review. Stop by tapering the dose over weeks, slower for paroxetine and venlafaxine. Warn about withdrawal symptoms so she does not mistake them for relapse or addiction.

Source: NICE NG222: Depression in adults: treatment and management NICE · tier 1, national regulator or guidance

The other sections of MRCGP AKT

Cardiovascular health · Metabolic problems and endocrinology · Gastroenterology and nutrition · Children and young people · Women's health: gynaecology, pregnancy, contraception and breast · Respiratory health · Dermatology · Ear, nose and throat, speech and hearing · Musculoskeletal health · Neurology · Eyes and vision · Renal and urology · Men's health · Haematology · Allergy and clinical immunology · Infectious diseases, travel and sexual health · Therapeutics and safe prescribing · People at the end of life · Organisation, management and administration · Evidence-based practice and data interpretation

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