Children's Hospital Colorado

At Children's Hospital Colorado, we treat the big things, the small things and everything in between.

The Adolescent Medicine Program at Children’s Hospital Colorado cares for adolescents in their preteen, teen and young adult years. We provide everything from primary care to specialty care for teens with chronic health conditions. Here, teens receive the care they need while transitioning into adulthood.

Primary care for teenagers

Puberty and other life changes can cause unique challenges for teenagers. That’s why we provide primary care customized to meet their physical, mental and emotional needs. Teens can come to us for regular primary care services, including health maintenance and wellness. They can also see us for disease prevention and diagnosis of medical conditions.

We treat our teenage patients with independence and respect. Our setting allows teens to discuss their questions and concerns, and to get teen-focused care for all our specialties.

Behavioral health for teens

Our behavioral and developmental health experts treat teenagers with learning and development disorders. These include conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). As we work together, we consider the challenges of today’s active and high-pressure lifestyles.

We also partner with our Pediatric Mental Health Institute to treat teens with mental health conditions. These include anxiety, depression and other mood disorders. When we prescribe medication, we also offer medication management services that helps to track the effectiveness of the medication and make any necessary adjustments.

We also provide a complete range of psychiatric services. These include outpatient, partial hospitalization, inpatient and emergency services. Whatever the challenge, we help teens and their families find healthy outcomes.

Adolescent and young adult consultative medicine

Adolescent and young adult consultative medicine is designed to evaluate and treat adolescents and young adults who have complex symptoms that have persisted in spite of various therapeutic approaches and specialty referrals. These conditions often interfere with school, resulting in excessive school absenteeism, withdrawal from extracurricular activities, and decreased academic performance. Typical conditions include chronic fatigue, POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome), autonomic dysfunction, anxiety and depression, disordered sleeping, and persistent physical symptoms such as chest pain, chronic dizziness, abdominal pain, headaches and nausea.

Substance abuse treatment for teens

Teenagers are more vulnerable to drug and alcohol addiction than adults. They are also more vulnerable to its harmful effects because their brains are still developing. We recognize that adolescents also have psychological and emotional needs specific to their age and they may need help addressing the underlying cause of their addiction, such as trauma, stress or anxiety.

Our specialists work with teens to develop customized substance abuse treatment and recovery programs. We do this together with our behavioral and mental health experts, therapists and social workers. Treatment plans may include detoxification, a variety of therapies and medication. We also provide follow-up treatment to help teens maintain a positive lifestyle.

Eating disorder treatment for teens

Like substance and alcohol abuse, eating disorders are especially common among teenagers. This is particularly true for those with other conditions like depression and anxiety. Children's Colorado is nationally recognized for our management of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and other eating disorders that can affect kids’ growth and development.

Our Eating Disorders Program serves children and families from across the United States, with nearly half our patients and families traveling from outside of Colorado for care. Our eating disorder treatment specialists provide a special approach to parent-supported nutrition. We emphasize the role of the family in creating treatment plans to meet each teen’s specific needs.

Sex health and education

Children’s Colorado provides educational resources and reproductive health services to men and women under the age of 25. Our resources are critical for helping young adults make smart decisions and stay safe. Our services include free birth control, pregnancy testing and STD testing. Learn more at bc4u.org.

Schedule with Children’s Colorado for teen health services

We accept referrals from physicians and hospitals throughout Colorado and the United States. Patients can also access our adolescent medicine services directly by scheduling an appointment.