on adolescence

The period of adolescence spans the second decade of life. Although I've only just passed this stage five years ago, in my eyes, adolescence has got to be the most trying stage in life. My opinion is supported  by the experiences shared by different adults and from what I've witnessed amongst patients in all walks of life in the hospital. Certainly, my present elective with the Department of Adolescent Medicine takes this point one step further, since our patients come in to hospital whilst facing some really major and heavy issues. Now, one can argue that being a hospital, we would see patients with the most tough and extreme cases--still, adolescents definitely face and struggle with some of the most difficult issues.

From school bullying, to physical defects, to parental divorce, to eating disorders, to physical and/or sexual abuse, to depression and thoughts of suicide, and everything in between, adolescents can go through quite a lot within the span of a few years. On top of it all, these young people have to endure physical changes to their bodies--specifically, the development of sexual characteristics--in the midst of figuring out their own identities. Equally important, this is the stage in life when most of them first encounter the cocktail of "sex, drugs, and rock & roll". Truly, adolescents have to put up with a lot.

In a world where they don't quite fit in with child patients as well as with adult patients, it's really easy for adolescent patients to get lost in the hospital system. Quite often, adolescent patients are received with disregard from many healthcare practitioners because they are found to be "difficult to work with". This largely contributes to the problem of under serviced adolescent populations in the health care system.

While it is true that adolescents can be difficult to work with, part of this is due to the fact that they are commonly misunderstood and stereotyped to be "troublemakers". But, in having spent time with adolescents during this elective, I have come to realize that all it takes is time spent on these patients, and one will see that they are hardly any different from managing child or adult patients. At the end of the day, as long as you are willing to have the patience in taking the time to engage with the adolescents and to see what they're about, more often than not, they will be more than compliant in your plan of care for them.

All I can say is that I am so thankful to have made it through the period of adolescence with (relative) ease.