Treating Health & Psychosocial Needs for Adolescents
We are committed to providing excellent care services focused on the health and psychosocial needs of adolescents and young adults. Adolescent medicine is a specialized area of pediatric health care that concentrates on the wide-ranging physical and emotional issues of adolescents as they move through their pre-teen, teenage, and young adult years.
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Services
- Abnormal eating behaviors
- Binge eating
- Eating disorders
- Purging behaviors
- Rituals related to eating or food
- Chronic pain
- Hormonal concerns
- Menstrual issues
- Dysmenorrhea
- Hormonal cycle control
- Irregular or heavy cycles
- Polycystic ovarian syndrome
- Obesity and nutrition disorders
- Sexuality and gender related issues
- Contraception
- Gender and sexual orientation issues
- Sexual activity
- Sexually transmitted diseases
- Pubertal concerns
- Duration
- Timing or onset
- Related issues: irritability, depression, or anxiety
Other conditions are first identified or are exacerbated during pubertal development. These conditions can be distressing to adolescent individuals, parents and care providers alike, in part because of the interconnection with pubertal changes and other developmental issues.
Signs & Symptoms to Watch For
Signs and symptoms that may represent a serious underlying condition include:
- Change in school performance
- Difficulty or discomfort with developmental issues (individual, parent or provider)
- Dizziness or passing out
- Fatigue
- Persistent muscle aches or joint pain
- Experiencing heavy periods or menstrual cramping
- Experiencing lighter or irregular periods
- Skipping periods
- Lack of self esteem
- Self-imposed food restriction
- Self-harming behaviors
- Social isolation
- Vaginal discharge
- Weight changes (loss or gain)
We are also trained to treat varied areas within adolescent health such as developing sexuality, psychosocial issues, and substance abuse.
Early Treatment Improves Outcomes
Utilizing available consultative services and interventions can be very successful. Typically, the earlier the intervention begins, the better the outcome. We welcome a referral even if you are not certain of the underlying diagnosis. The initial consultation visit will be with an adolescent medicine trained physician who will evaluate all physical and emotional concerns you may have and initiate treatment. If this treatment requires evaluations by other members of our team we will assist with the schedule of those appointments.
