61st Annual Meeting

October 18 - 25, 2014

Clinical Consultation Breakfast 12 (sold out)

Sexual Orientation: Clinical Issues and Strategies for the Child Psychiatrist

The expression of sexual behaviors and lifestyle is a choice for all teenagers, regardless of sexual orientation. When the gay, lesbian, bisexual or questioning (GLBQ) adolescent is given the opportunity to develop within a supportive, nurturing, and accepting environment, the probability of serious mental health issues lessens. It is important to understand the psychosocial issues facing GLBQ youth. Participants learn the importance of taking a sexual history from all adolescents, discussing sexuality and safe sex with patients, and providing reassurance about sexual identify and orientation as part of normative development. Discussions center on the diversity in GLBQ youth; concerns or risk factors that may arise when treating GLBQ youth; and the basic principles of how to assess, develop a plan treatment, and provide a supportive medical base for GLBQ youth and their families.