Psychotic disorders: assertive community treatment: practice question

A Psychiatry question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Psychiatry · Psychotic disorders: assertive community treatment

Sample item

A 29-year-old man with schizophrenia lives alone far from the hospital. He repeatedly stops medication, misses clinic visits and is readmitted every few months. Which service model best addresses this pattern?

AProlonged custodial care in a mental hospitalBWeekly reminder letters sent from the outpatient clinicCAssertive community treatment with a team that visits him at homeDVocational training in a sheltered workshop alone

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

C. Assertive community treatment with a team that visits him at home

Assertive community treatment uses a multidisciplinary team that takes treatment to the patient at home and follows up actively. It is aimed at people with severe illness who disengage from clinic care and relapse often. Custodial care is the model that community care replaced.

Option by option

A. Prolonged custodial care in a mental hospital
Long-term custodial care reverses the deinstitutionalisation approach and is not recommended for this problem.
B. Weekly reminder letters sent from the outpatient clinic
Passive reminders have not worked for a patient who already defaults repeatedly.
C. Assertive community treatment with a team that visits him at home (correct)
Correct. Active outreach by a home-visiting team targets non-attendance and relapse.
D. Vocational training in a sheltered workshop alone
A sheltered workshop helps rehabilitation but does not secure medication adherence or follow-up.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

Questions about this Psychiatry question

What is the answer to this Psychiatry question?

The best answer is C, Assertive community treatment with a team that visits him at home. Assertive community treatment uses a multidisciplinary team that takes treatment to the patient at home and follows up actively.

Why is "Prolonged custodial care in a mental hospital" not the answer?

Long-term custodial care reverses the deinstitutionalisation approach and is not recommended for this problem.

Why is "Weekly reminder letters sent from the outpatient clinic" not the answer?

Passive reminders have not worked for a patient who already defaults repeatedly.

Why is "Vocational training in a sheltered workshop alone" not the answer?

A sheltered workshop helps rehabilitation but does not secure medication adherence or follow-up.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Psychotic disorders: assertive community treatment in Psychiatry. It is aimed at people with severe illness who disengage from clinic care and relapse often. Custodial care is the model that community care replaced.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Psychotic disorders: assertive community treatment?

Learn each diagnosis by its core features and its first-line treatment. Then use the flashcards and the other Psychiatry questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.