RISK FACTORS TO EVALUATE ADOLESCENT BEHAVIOR

S¨¢nchez G.O.

Instituto Nacional de Pediatr¨ªa S.S, Mexico City, Mexico

 

This is a qualitative proposition to evaluate adolescent behavior by a medical proffessional non psychiatrist. Difficulties in evaluating adolescent behavior are showed in relation to cultural, social and individual differences. In order to implement a preventive approach, and not only an early diagnosis and treatment it is necessary to determine risk factors. These risk factors have been studied in several countries, but in Mexico, remain not well known, that is why it is intended to open the discussion about pertinency of the eight factors proposed:

They are grouped in two parts: Those inherents to subject and those related to the group or family in which the adolescent is developing.

 

GROUP A    MAIN CRITERIA:

EARLY EMOTIONAL PATHOLOGY

CHRONIC ILLNESS OR GREAT PHISICAL DEFECTS

TOXIC UTILIZATION

SUICIDE ATTEMPTS

EARLY SEXUAL ACTIVITY

 

GROUP B    SECONDARY CRITERIA:

EARLY AFFECTIVE LOSS

LOW SCHOLAR PERFORMANCE

OR DROPPING OUT OF SCHOOL

CHRONIC FAMILY DISFUNCTION.

 

Combination of these factors takes us to  suppose that an adolescent must be seen by a mental health proffessional,  These factors are seen as the  most common in our clinical practice, We know there are some others  but this is our first approach to face them, we propose that if the  Pediatrician  sees an adolescent that has three of the main criteria, or two of them and  one of the secondary criteria,  it guides almost directly to a severe emotional illness, even if the Pediatrician does not arrive to a nosloogic diagnosis ( that will be made by the child psychiatrist).

 
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