Emergency, Over-the-Counter Contraceptives for Teens? Helping Teens in Violent Communities. How Physicians Should Talk to Young Patients: March western journal of medicine Examines Adolescent Health

    SAN FRANCISCO, March 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Making an adolescent visit the
 doctor for emergency contraceptives is like permitting a homeowner to buy a
 fire extinguisher only after a fire has broken out, according to David Grimes,
 MD, in the March ( http://www.ewjm.com ) wjm: western journal of medicine, the
 official journal of the California Medical Association.
     "This double standard in prevention services hurts women, especially
 adolescents, for whom gaining access to care may often be difficult," writes
 Dr. Grimes, of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University
 of North Carolina. Just like "keeping a fire extinguisher in the kitchen is
 unlikely to lead to risky cooking practices," Grimes says, evidence does not
 point to a decrease in the use of non-urgent contraceptives.
     Dedicated to adolescent health issues, the March wjm looks at:  a new
 screening tool for eating disorders, medical complications related to anorexia
 nervosa, identifying and treating adolescent depression, helping teens who
 live in violent communities, and adolescent sexuality and the media.
     The March wjm also looks at the relationship between young patients and
 their physicians, from both the patient*s and the doctor's point of view. In
 "What's Up, Doc," 18-year-old Michelle Goodman talks about how it feels when
 "you're the oldest kid in the waiting room. You can barely fit in the chairs."
 UCLA physicians Michael S. Wilkes, MD, and Martin Anderson, MD, based "A
 Primary Approach to Adolescent Health Care" on their teaching experiences at
 the Venice Family Clinic in Los Angeles. "Adolescents are generally thought to
 be healthy," notes Dr. Anderson. "But at least 20 percent of North American
 adolescents have serious health problems" due to alcohol, tobacco and other
 drug use; depression; unplanned pregnancies; and sexually transmitted
 diseases.
     "These problems are often rooted in behaviors that are diagnosed not with
 a laboratory test or physical examination but through open communication
 between the physician and the adolescent," writes Dr. Anderson. The authors
 present an approach to treating adolescents that includes tips on language
 ("Avoid using slang ... it is likely outdated") as well as the "Five Fs" to
 remember when caring for adolescents (Explain Facts, Explore Fears, Address
 Fables, Explore Family relationships, and Ask About the Future).
     wjm is owned by the BMJ Publishing Group. It is the official journal of
 the California Medical Association and other Western state medical
 associations. Full text of all wjm articles is available at
 http://www.ewjm.com . The March wjm will be available online after
 March 14, 2000.
 
 

SOURCE  California Medical Association