The troubled adolescent patient. How the general practitioner may be helpful

Abstract

The disturbed adolescent is psychologically isolated from the worlds of childhood and adulthood. His sense of alienation results from both the upsurge of instinctual drives and his uneasy attempts to master changing physical attributes and new freedoms and responsibilities. The former result in conformity and in concerns about "normality." The latter lead to confusion and to alternating rebellion and over-dependence. The general practitioner may be the first person consulted by the troubled adolescent or his parents. The physician's sensitivity can be crucial in helping the family work together toward a solution. Persistent anxiety in either parent or child is in itself a problem. An understanding of those factors inherent in the adolescent experience may provide the physician with a recognition of disturbance denied by the adolescent with a facade of bravado or indifference. The physician must be prepared to help the adolescent accept a protracted period of stress, usually with only partial resolution of distressing problems.