PGIM MD Psychiatry study guide
PGIM MD Psychiatry · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Doctor of Medicine (MD) in Psychiatry is a postgraduate training programme and examination conducted by the Board of Study in Psychiatry of the Postgraduate Institute of Medicine (PGIM), University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Successful completion leads to board certification as a specialist in psychiatry in Sri Lanka. The PGIM MD Psychiatry study guide has 7 sections and about 1,958 words.
01Medical Expert
The Medical Expert domain tests whether you can convert a narrative into a defensible psychiatric formulation and management plan. Examiners reward explicit syndromal reasoning, safe medical screening, and risk documentation, not a list of labels.
323 words, about 2 min02Communicator
This domain tests the observable interview: whether you can obtain valid information, explain risk and treatment, assess capacity, and document in a way that another clinician could defend. Structure the interview: open questions first, then focused closed questions; screen for suicide, violence, self-neglect, and safeguarding at every first assessment.
309 words, about 2 min03Collaborator
The Collaborator domain tests teamwork: referrals, liaison, handover, role clarity, and managing disagreement without losing the patient's safety. Define the question before referral: Is this delirium?
289 words, about 1 min04Health Advocate
The Health Advocate domain tests whether you can act beyond the consultation: reducing stigma, improving access, using public mental health structures, and applying rights-based law. Know the Indian public mental health architecture: National Mental Health Programme, District Mental Health Programme, community outreach, task-sharing with ASHAs and primary care, and tele-mental health.
283 words, about 1 min05Manager
The Manager domain tests safe stewardship: running a ward, allocating scarce beds, managing aggression and emergencies, keeping records, and improving quality. Triage by risk and acuity, not by seniority or convenience; document the decision.
270 words, about 1 min06Scholar
The Scholar domain tests evidence-based practice: critical appraisal, research design, statistics, teaching, and publication ethics. Convert uncertainty into a PICO question; choose the design that fits: RCT for efficacy, cohort for prognosis, case-control for rare exposures, diagnostic accuracy study for tests.
252 words, about 1 min07Professional
The Professional domain tests trustworthiness: ethics, boundaries, confidentiality, probity, and legal duties under pressure. Apply the four principles: autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice; justify decisions transparently.
232 words, about 1 min