Conditions We Treat

Sexual and Reproductive Health

Personalized, compassionate care is provided for a variety of adolescent health concerns, including:

• Birth control and contraceptive counseling
• Menstrual problems, including those affecting athletes
• Pregnancy testing
• Sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing and treatment

Behavioral Health

Our team addresses behavioral health concerns that may emerge during adolescence. These include:

• Anxiety: Can cause excessive worry, restlessness, sleep difficulties or physical symptoms that interfere with daily life.
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A neurodevelopmental condition that may affect focus, organization, impulse control and emotional regulation.
• Depression: May show up as sadness, irritability or low energy. Your adolescent may lose interest in activities they once enjoyed.
• Developmental or learning differences: Can include conditions such as autism spectrum disorder.
• Challenges with school performance or learning: May be related to an underlying mood disorder or other health concerns.
• Substance use disorder: Includes the misuse of alcohol, drugs or prescription medications.

Chronic Illness and Youth With Special Healthcare Needs

Adolescents living with complex conditions or special healthcare needs receive coordinated, compassionate care. Our Adolescent Medicine team provides primary care services for youth with these conditions and consults with other specialists at Phoenix Children’s for specialized care and diagnosis. 

• Chronic and Complex Pain Syndromes: Persistent or recurrent pain that lasts longer than 3–6 months and is not fully explained by tissue damage. This may involve musculoskeletal pain, headaches, abdominal pain, or widespread pain. It is often associated with fatigue, sleep disturbances, mood changes, and functional impairment.
• Connective Tissue & Autonomic Disorders
  • Joint Hypermobility Syndrome (JHS) and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders (HSD): Excessive joint range of motion with pain, instability or soft-tissue injury.
  • Hypermobile Ehlers–Danlos Syndrome (hEDS): Hereditary connective tissue disorder with generalized hypermobility, chronic musculoskeletal pain, frequent sprains and soft or fragile skin.
  • Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS): Autonomic dysfunction causing excessive heart rate increase on standing, dizziness, fatigue and exercise intolerance.
• Endocrine & Metabolic Conditions
  • Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes
  • Thyroid disorders (hypo/hyperthyroidism)
  • Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

As part of this care, we also support a smooth transition from pediatric to adult healthcare through specialized visits and coordination with our healthcare transition team and your adolescent’s current providers.

Eating Disorders

We help adolescents build a healthier relationship with food and their body by treating:

• Anorexia nervosa and atypical anorexia nervosa: Serious conditions that involve restricting food intake. It’s often due to an intense fear of gaining weight or a distorted body image.
• Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID): Includes avoiding certain foods or not eating enough. Factors for ARFID are typically a fear of choking or strong aversions to taste or texture. 
• Binge-eating disorder: Includes regularly eating large amounts of food in a short time. There is also a feeling of loss of control. 
• Bulimia nervosa: Occurs when episodes of binge eating are followed by purging behaviors. This can include vomiting, excessive exercise or using laxatives.