Feature: Coming of Age - The Needs of Boys and Girls as they Hit Puberty

This was an interesting story to write, simply because I got to interview some fascinating people.

For example I spoke with the region's only child and adolescent psychiatrist, who said there is a lot of depression, anxiety and drug abuse happening in the pubertal age group. Its the luckier ones who end up in the doctor's office. The unlucky ones end up in juvenile detention. He said you just cannot blame

puberty on behavioral problems. Even though a lot of parents think its normal 14-year-old behavior to get into trouble.

Other experts spoke about how the majority of their patients have had sex by age 14-15. And hence the need for parents to be more open in their conversations with their children and the need for the adolescents to start getting their pap smears, physicals, pelvic exams at an earlier age.

Click here to read the story in text format.