MBBS OSCE · Psychiatry
OSCE — Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
Eight-minute OSCE station on Child & Adolescent Psychiatry: focused history, examination priorities, investigations, emergency and definitive management.
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Brief (to candidate)
You will assess a patient with a presentation consistent with Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.
You have 8 minutes to take a focused history, outline examination, investigations, and management including red flags.
Clinical context
Child and adolescent psychiatry covers mental disorders from birth to age 18, with every symptom assessed in developmental context against age-appropriate norms. The high-yield disorders are: Conduct disorder (CD) — a repetitive, persistent pattern of behaviour that violates the rights of others or age-appropriate norms (aggression to people/animals, destruction of property, deceit/theft, serious rule violation; at least 3 of 15 criteria in 12 months); Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) — angry/irritable mood, argumentative/defiant behaviour, vindictiveness without aggression or rights violation; Separation anxiety disorder — excessive, developmentally inappropriate fear of separation lasti
Candidate tasks
- Clarify onset, severity, associated features, and red-flag symptoms.
- State focused examination priorities.
- List first-line investigations and any named score/criteria.
- Give immediate resuscitation steps.
- Outline definitive management with doses/routes where standard.
- Name complications and disposition (ward / HDU / theatre / discharge safety-net).
- Mention one special-population modifier (pregnancy, child, elderly, CKD).
Examiner checklist
| Domain | Pass behaviours |
|---|---|
| Definition | Correct working diagnosis language |
| Assessment | Focused, prioritised, red flags sought |
| Investigations | Appropriate first-line + interpretation |
| Emergency care | ABC / time-critical actions first |
| Definitive care | Specific drugs/procedures, not generic phrases |
| Safety | Child with persistent aggression, rule-breaking and violation of others rights - |
| Safety | Child who speaks at home but is mute at school - selective mutism; behavioural i |
| Safety | Child with declining school attendance and distress - school refusal; assess for |
| Communication | Clear plan and safety-netting |
Model outline
Lead with the working diagnosis and life threats. Resuscitate before definitive tests when unstable. Use guideline-standard therapy with named agents and doses. Document escalation criteria and follow-up. A safe candidate is specific, structured, and never delays critical care for non-urgent imaging.