One of the most uncomfortable positions I have ever been in as a pediatrician is to have a parent demanding to know if their teen has been sexually active, or using drugs or alcohol, and not being able to tell them, because I did not have the teen's permission.

As you can imagine, this can be very upsetting to a parent, but it is not because I am trying to hide information from parents.  It is the law.

Every state in the union has a law that permits teens to seek some services from doctors confidentially.  In Colorado, teens from 13-17 can, without their parents knowledge, get treated for pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, drug and alcohol use, and for those 15 and over, they can also be treated for mental health problems.  There are some variations, but the laws in the rest of the country are similar.  These are the only areas for which teens can get services without a parent's permission--for everything else, we actually have to have a parents permission to treat a teen.

The reason for these laws is that legislators wanted to ensure that teens who had these health issues could get treatment, even if they felt uncomfortable or unsafe having their parents involved.  They felt the health need was too important. 

When I am seeing a teen for one of these issues, I explain how the confidentiality law works.  I also encourage them to tell their parents, or for us to tell them together, because parents are such an important part of their lives, and can be a great support.  I ask them to think about the consequences of not telling their parents.  I work hard to get them to let their parents be part of their treatment.  I think every pediatrician does this.  For most kids with one of these issues, it is the best option.

But there are kids who just are not willing to involve their parents.  It may be because they can't face their parents' disappointment.  In some (fortunately few) cases, it is because they fear for their safety if their parents find out.  For those kids, pediatricians and all health care providers are bound by the law to protect the confidentiality of their patients.

So if you are a parent who finds a doctor unable to tell you the answers to the questions you have about your teen and these confidential issues, please understand we are not trying to hide information from you.  We are following the request of teens when the law requires it.