RISK FACTORS TO EVALUATE
ADOLESCENT BEHAVIOR
S��nchez
G.O.
Instituto
Nacional de Pediatr��a 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).