Teens

A message for our teen patients from the physicians at Forest Hills Pediatrics You may have been coming to Forest Hills Pediatrics for your health care since you were a small child. As you continue to grow and change, you will have new health needs. We want to assure you that we would like to continue to help you stay healthy. We see many patients until they are 18 to 20 years old. When you reach this age, we will discuss how to transition to physicians who care for adult patients. When you are 11 or 12 years old, we will speak with you and your parents at your check-up and suggest that you spend some time alone with your physician at future health care visits. What you talk about during these visits will remain confidential. This way you will begin to learn how to take care of your own health. As you grow up your body is changing and you may feel differently than you did a few years ago. These changes can be confusing and leave you wondering what is happening to your mind and body. You may have questions about these changes and how you should take care of yourself. Your physician can answer questions about the following: eating right your height and weight exercise and sports acne dating school performance alcohol and other drugs other concerns that you may have. A few words about privacy: Because we respect you as a patient, we will keep your discussions private whenever possible. However, your parents are obviously concerned about your health and well-being, and your pediatrician will want to keep them informed of extreme situations; for example if your life or someone else's is in danger. In most cases though, the information you share with us will stay between us. Some teens only come in when they are sick or hurt, but we recommend that you come in once each year for a check-up. These annual visits are a time when we can discuss how you can keep yourself healthy, recommend any appropriate screening tests, and make sure everything is okay. This is a first step in taking charge of your own health. You should also make an appointment to see us when you are sick or concerned about what is happening to your body. Physical growth may also trigger changes in how you think and feel. You may feel sad, angry or nervous at times. You should feel free to talk with us about these things. Below is a partial list of things that you can talk about with your physician. Sports or School Physicals: During a "sports physical" we focus on health issues that are important to sports participation. We recommend that you schedule your sports physical at least 8 weeks before you are to begin practice. This way if we encounter a problem that may limit participation we can thoroughly evaluate it before you are scheduled to begin practice. We also have "group sports physical visits" in the summer that you may want to consider. During these visits, we discuss many ways to keep healthy and fit during your sports season. Treatment of Illnesses or Injuries: It is important for you to tell us about any chronic pain or illnesses that you have or any changes in the way you feel, even if you don't think they are serious. We can discuss the impact that these may have on your health. Growth and Development: Your body will go through a big growth spurt during puberty. You may want to discuss things like how tall you will be, is your sexual development normal, should you worry about your weight, or are you having problems with your menstrual periods? These are all things you can discuss openly and freely with your physician. Problems with Friends, Family, or School: Sometimes it is difficult to know who to turn to when you have a hard time dealing with problems with friends, family or school. Feel free to talk to us about your concerns. Alcohol or Drug Use: You may be tempted to take risks or feel a lot of pressure from your friends to do things that make you feel uncomfortable. Becoming an adult means more than just physical growth. It means making decisions that are best for you. We can explain how smoking, drinking, or taking other drugs can affect you. Sexual Relationships: During your visits with us, you'll have a chance to ask questions about dating, sexual activity, and infections. We can also talk to you confidentially about postponing sex and how to protect yourself against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and pregnancy. It's important to make smart choices about sex now since the wrong choice could affect the rest of your life. Referrals to Other Doctors for Special Health Needs: If you have a medical problem that will require you to see a different type of physician, we will refer you to a specialist who can help. A referral may involve an ophthalmologist (eye doctor) for visual problems, psychologist for stress or depression, physical therapist for injury rehabilitation or other physicians to address your special needs. The information on this web site is intended to inform and educate and is not a replacement for medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment by a health care professional.
Links: We hope that you find the following links helpful. www.mypyramid.gov/ for teen food pyramid www.stopalcoholabuse.gov/youth.aspx for alcohol information www.cdc.gov/std/ for sexually transmitted disease www.verbnow.com/ for games www2.cdc.gov/nip/adultImmSched/ for teen and adult immunizations www.safeyouth.org/scripts/teens/facts.asp for teen violence prevention www.niams.nih.gov/hi/topics/childsports/child_sports.htm for sports injuries and prevention www.aap.org/family/sportsshort.htm for sports injuries and prevention www.aap.org/stress for stress
Pediatric Advisor Links for Teens
Pregnancy prevention (for teens) * Prevention of sexually transmitted disease (for teens) * Puberty for boys * Puberty for girls * Sexually transmitted disease chlamydia in females (teen version) * in males (teen version) * crab lice (teen version) * gonorrhea in females (teen version) * in males (teen version) * herpes, genital (teen version) * pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) (teen version) * prevention * trichomonas (teen version) * vaginosis, bacterial (teen version) * warts, genital (teen version) * Contraceptive methods birth control pills (teen version) * condom (teen version) * depo-provera (teen version) diaphragm (teen version) * intrauterine device (IUD) (teen version) * natural family planning (teen version) * overview (teen version) * Menstrual cramps brief teen version * complete teen version Menstrual period late or missed (teen version) Jock itch brief parent version * complete parent version teen version Tobacco how to quit smoking smoking (teen version) Eating disorder anorexia nervosa (teen version) bulimia nervosa (teen version) resource list Weight management for teens
Emergency Phone Numbers for Teens - 24 hour Crisis Lines
Runaway/Shelter:
The Bridge	616-452-3001
RAP Line	1-800-292-4517
Suicide/Mental Health:
Network 180	616-336-2450 616-336-3535 616-336-3909 1-800-749-7720
Medical Emergency:
Medical Emergency	911
Poison Control	1-800-222-1222
Sexual Assault/Rape:
YWCA Sexual Assault	1-616-776-RAPE 616-776-7273
Family Violence/Child Abuse:
Children Protective Services	1-616-247-6300
Parent Help Line	1-800-942-HELP
Not Sure Who to Call?
First Call for Help	211 1-800-887-1107
PLEASE NOTE that "211" is different from the emergency number "911" -- When you call "211" you will reach "First Call for Help," a program run by the United Way specifically for teens that don't know who to call for non-emergent problems.
LOCAL RESOURCES FOR TEENS IN KENT COUNTY - NOT AVAILABLE 24 HOUR
Eating Disorders
Life Guidance Services	616-774-0633
Pregnancy, Birth Control & STD information
Kent County Health Department STD Clinic	616-632-7100
Planned Parenthood of MI	616-459-3101
Pregnancy Resource Center	616-456-6873
Right-to-Life of MI	616-532-2300
Substance Abuse
Life Guidance Services	616-954-1991
Other Resources
WIC (Women, Infants & Children)	616-632-7200
Children's Assessment Center (Sexual Abuse)	616-336-5160
Arbor Circle Assess Center (Counseling)	616-954-1991