[Adolescence and illness: from body to words]

Abstract

Chronic illness can severely disturb the main developmental processes of adolescence. Many adolescents with chronic illness do not enter properly into adolescence ("unconsummated", or on the contrary, too noisy adolescence) and principally give words to their body (self-destructive behaviours, risk behaviour, depressive episodes with body expression). Therapeutic attitudes in helping these adolescents are discussed.