THE FAMILY PHYSICIAN AND THE ADOLESCENT DELINQUENT

In cases of adolescent delinquency the family physician may be called upon for help by the court, the parents, or even the child himself. The request for help can come from the adolescent even before he is in serious trouble, but it may be disguised in terms of concern for his bodily functions. In a society that is extremely critical of parents of delinquent children the parents have to deal with community feelings of disapproval as well as the troublesome behavior of their children. A vicious circle develops in which the parents treat their child as a bad person and the child becomes convinced that he has been rejected. Sometimes the physician can break this circle by emphasizing the positive personality attributes of all concerned. Some adolescents unable to develop close relationships with their parents are able to develop them with other adults, and such relationships, often informal, may be accompanied by rapid disappearance of delinquent behavior. Thus, there are many ways in which a physician can be of service to the delinquent and his parents, and many of these services are extremely gratifying.