Patients with eating disorders may appear deceptively well, and often try to hide their behaviours, so a collateral history from parents or carers may be appropriate.
The SCOFF questionnaire is an effective screening tool for identifying patients with eating disorder behaviours:
A score of 2 or more is suggestive of eating disorder behaviours.
Patients with eating disorders will not usually seek help for their eating behaviours, but for the physical complications. When taking a history, it is important to ask about: