Teenagers and Doctor's Offices
Adolescents hate coming to a pediatrician's office because they do not like to be treated as "babies" and they feel invincible. However, regular check ups with a pediatrician are as important for adolescents as they are for any other age child or adult.
During adolescence, which occurs between 10 to 20 years of age for most children, their bodies undergo rapid changes because of pubertal development. More importantly, there is a big change in the way they think and the way they relate to the rest of the world. There is a trend towards separation from family and increasing involvement in peer activities. The feel the need to look, dress, talk and act like their peers. It is during middle and late adolescence when parents feel frustrated because of inability to communicate with their teenagers and unfortunately it is the same period of time when teenagers are at the greatest health risk. Some of these risks include: risk taking, experimentation accidents, teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, alcohol, tobacco and drug use, eating disorders, obesity, depression and suicide. For example, at age sixteen 45% of boys and 30% of girls report having sexual intercourse; 60% of teens say they have been offered illicit drugs and there are 1.2 million teenage pregnancies every year.
A yearly check up at the doctor's office provides an opportunity to reinforce health behavior and life styles. It allows the pediatrician to develop a relationship with the adolescent that will foster an open disclosure of future health information. These encounters also allow the physician to educate parents about normal emotional turmoil that adolescents go through and how to sort out normal behavior and behaviors that are likely to lead to health problems. Your pediatrician may be able to detect emotional problems such as depression and eating disorders, counsel your teenager regarding making the right choices and abstaining from sexual activity until a later age, teach the use of condoms to protect against sexually transmitted diseases and make appropriate methods of birth control available. Counseling regarding safety and tobacco, alcohol and drug use is also important. They will be screened for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, scoliosis and obesity.
Teenagers care a lot about how they look and how well they feel. For parents of teenagers who resist coming to the physician's office, a suggestion that the doctor may prescribe treatment for their acne and help them look and feel good may convince them otherwise.