Adolescent Health Problems and
Injuries
Physical health problems occurring during adolescence can often
complicate adolescent development. Illness, injury, medical treatments,
hospitalization, and surgery can all intensify concerns about physical
appearance, interfere with efforts to gain independence, and disrupt
changing relationships with parents and friends. Also, adolescent
developmental issues may complicate a teenager's ability to cope with
illness and response to treatment.
Chronic illness or disability occurs in an estimated 10 percent of
individuals under the age of 17. While some of these youth have to cope
with additional physical and mental disabilities as a result of their
primary illness, all of them have to deal with the psychological
consequences of their condition.
While a large part of adolescent medicine involves addressing the
medical and treatment needs of the adolescent's illness, condition, or
injury, a significant component of adolescent medicine also anticipates
and assesses developmental complications associated with the healthcare
needs of the specific medical problem. Physicians and other healthcare
providers in adolescent medicine assist adolescents and their families in
developing strategies to deal with developmental issues and the
complications and conflicts that may erupt between illness, treatment, and
developmental needs.
Listed in the directory below, you will find additional information
regarding adolescent health problems and injuries, for which we have
provided a brief overview.
If you cannot find the information in which you are interested, please
visit the Adolescent Medicine Online Resources
page in this Web site for an Internet/World Wide Web address that may
contain additional information on that topic.
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