Pitfalls in communication with adolescents.
During adolescence much of the relevant information can be obtained from the youngster, thus direct communication with the adolescent patient becomes essential. This review presentation includes principles of communication methods with adolescents, emphasizing the need for a development oriented approach. The main part of the discussion regards pitfalls in communication that frequently occur during encounters of physicians with adolescents. The pitfalls are divided into two groups: 1) Pitfalls related to the patient, such as over-protective parents, uncooperative or shy patients, shy patients, oppositional and aggressive adolescents, and repulsive patients. 2) Solutions for overcoming these pitfalls are suggested.