Eating Disorder History Taking Made Clear! OSCE Structure, Red Flags & Refeeding Syndrome

In this episode, we break down how to take a safe, structured history from a patient with a suspected eating disorder.This is a high-yield OSCE station and a clinically important skill — anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality of any psychiatric illness, often due to cardiac complications, electrolyte disturbances and suicide.We cover:• How to sensitively approach eating disorder histories• Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder• Weight history and body image assessment• Restriction, bingeing and compensatory behaviours• Physical symptoms and red flags• Suicide and risk assessment• The SCOFF mnemonic• When admission is required• Baseline investigations• Refeeding syndrome explained clearlyThis episode focuses on safe clinical practice, structured assessment and recognising when a patient requires urgent medical admission.Ideal for:Medical studentsOSCE preparationPsychiatry placementsGP and emergency medicine rotationsFoundation doctorsIf this topic is sensitive for you, please seek appropriate support.