This makes it difficult for ethnic minority youth to receive appropriate services. Adolescent perceptions of barriers to care differ from provider perceptions. Adolescents identify factors related to site and provider cleanliness, infection control, provider competency and confidentiality as the principal barriers to seeking care. Confidentiality is central to a trusting relationship between an adolescent and provider. Many providers are uncomfortable with the legal and ethical implications of independent care and decision making by adolescents.
Physicians often overlook mental health problems in teenagers.
Depression, hopelessness, and suicidal behavior are common, increasing, and increasingly undetected among adolescents. Independent multi-service centers are another approach to providing comprehensive adolescent health services. Public health clinics, which are available in most communities, are a common source of care for many youth. They may require proof of Medicaid eligibility, limit confidentiality, and be unable to offer the provider the continuity that many adolescents need. The developmental characteristics and health behaviors of adolescents make the availability of health care services critically important to this population.