Originally published in The Ottawa Citizen September 20, 2004
Original Title: The Testes of Time

Young men rarely see their family doctor (if they have one). There is a tendency to think that nothing can really go wrong in your late teens or 20s.

Yet there is one cancer in men that occurs exactly when men avoid [...]

Increasing numbers of adolescents, especially girls, are adopting vegetarian diets. Their reasons for choosing a vegetarian diet vary from animal welfare, health benefits and food safety to environmental and sociopolitical concerns. Surveys suggest that approximately 8% of adolescents in the United Kingdom and 6% of older elementary and high-school students in the midwestern United States consume a vegetarian diet.

Your 15-year-old patient wants to go on the Pill. Why? What does she stand to gain from a sexual relationship? Does she fear her boyfriend will dump her if she does not take this step? If so, what does this imply about respect and the state of their relationship? What will they do if she does become pregnant?

Understanding adolescent developmental hurdles can help you explain to parents how they can meet the challenges of guiding their sons and daughters

Last week’s column discussed the stages of adolescent development and the normalcy of many of the problems our children face as they progress towards adulthood. The Adolescent Toolkit’s design is to foster the development of age-appropriate behaviours and decisions and promote independence based upon respect, honour, dignity and integrity.

More than 80 per cent of adolescents do not experience stereotypical “hellion” lifestyle and behaviour. There is adolescent angst, but often there is an identifiable cause, such as parental strife, divorce, laissez-faire approaches to discipline, lack of parental involvement and support, lax enforcement of the rules of the house, poor sense of self and depressive illness. Sometimes there is no apparent explanation.

One of the more difficult aspects of answering teen questions is the degree of angst and pain that spills from them. Although the majority of our teenage children progress through adolescence to become well-adjusted, productive adults, a substantial minority is desperate for help during life’s stressful events.

In this continuing series based on teens’ questions asked at Canterbury High School, today’s column looks at the drug issue, which is all too often intertwined with the issue of sex among teenagers.

How have society’s changing attitudes about sexual activity and responsibility affected our teenage children?

The Medical Institute for Sexual Health, a U.S. non-profit group promoting sexual abstinence outside marriage, lists the devastating toll laissez-faire attitudes have had on our teens.

As adolescents progress through their teenage years we bear witness to their emotional and cognitive development. Some sprout early and surprise us with their clarity of thought and insight. Others remain stuck in neutral for long stretches of time. This is one of the challenges of providing adolescent care.

Despite numerous health advisory and information campaigns, inroads into curbing or modifying deleterious adolescent behaviours remain wanting. The reasons are multifactorial. There is competition from television and movies, advertising, peer-pressure, academic responsibilities, developing independent attitudes, rebelliousness and their own social calendar.

You walk a fine line at times when responding to teens’ questions. One frequently asked centers around comparisons between marijuana, cigarettes and alcohol. For example, a common question is, “What is worse, smoking a joint or smoking a cigarette?”

‘Just say no’ won’t work when it comes to talking to your teenager about the dangers of smoking marijuana. Much more will be achieved with rational discussions about responsibility

School children tend to set the agenda when it comes to what health info they want

Despite numerous health advisory and information campaigns, inroads into curbing or modifying deleterious adolescent behaviours remain wanting. There are many reasons, including competition from television and movies, advertising, peer pressure, academic responsibilities, development of independent attitudes and rebelliousness, and their own social calendar

Our governments spend millions of dollars a year to combat the scourge of teen smoking. Many “hip” public health campaigns have been tried with limited success.

Our governments spend millions of dollars a year to combat the scourge of teen smoking. Many “hip” public health campaigns have been tried with limited success.

The decision by YM magazine to quit printing diet tips and use models who reflect the body image of the majority of teens is welcome news.

The prevalence of child obesity is growing at an alarming rate. In the United States, the obesity rate for children and adolescents has increased 50 per cent during the past 20 years. Approximately 22 to 25 per cent of all children in the U.S. and Canada are obese or overweight. It is a worldwide phenomenon, with Japan, Australia, the U.K., Europe, Russia and China reporting dramatic increases as well.

Erica (not her real name),16 years old, dropped in to the high school clinic. She announced she had been having bouts of depression for about a year since beginning high school. Her parents were arguing daily and she feared they were heading for a divorce. She felt powerless to stop them.

There are times when one encounters a patient who leaves a haunting permanent impression in your mind. The situations that lead to such heart-wrenching memories can make it difficult to remain objective.

Life is about options, the choices we make and the paths we then choose to follow. For some it can be a bittersweet experience. Yet, these decisions can alter the lives of many. Some are aware of these changes and some, regretfully, are not.

A 13-year-old girl erroneously believes her suicide will improve life for her eight-year-old brother

You are in a line for a movie and you pass gas or do some other embarrassing activity. Your first reaction usually is “Oh my god, they all know I did it!” This is a remnant of your teen years. Teens are naturally self- centered and experience that reaction you had about ten times more intensely sometimes on a daily basis. Despite the teen horror stories, most adolescents cope well with their development process.

Life is about options, the choices we make and the paths we follow. For some it can be a bittersweet experience. Yet, these decisions can alter the lives of many. Some are aware of these changes and some, regretfully, are not.

One of the great joys of adolescent practice is when one is able to have a positive influence upon one’s patient. Once your patient trusts your judgment and counsel, the ability to affect positive change in their lives improves dramatically.

Eight years ago, two Ottawa doctors went back to high school to start the first in-school medical centre of its kind in Canada
Adolescents are an under-serviced population — and there are several factors that contribute to this phenomenon.