Understanding Your Own Health Condition for Teens
Knowledge is power
If you take medicines, do you know what happens if you skip a dosage or take too much? Do you know what your treatments do and how they help your body? Having a good understanding of your health condition and what’s happening to your body is important. It will help you make better decisions for yourself as you get older. It will allow you to gain more independence in managing your own health care. It will help you decide if there is a problem and when you should alert others.
Learn from a trusted source
Use resources that are available to you. Your parents, doctors and nurses are great sources of information. Let them know that you want to learn more about your health condition and ask questions!
How to research online
The internet is full of excellent information and can be a great place to learn more about your condition, medicines, and treatment. Unfortunately, the internet also has plenty of misleading or totally incorrect information. Our Diagnosis Information page can be a start.
When using a search engine, it can sometimes be hard to tell which websites to trust. Here are a few tips:
- Use websites with a credible sponsor: Site addresses that end in .edu (associated with a school or university), .gov (government), or .org (non-profit organization) are good places to start.
- Information should be non-biased: look for information that is based on facts and not opinions. Be wary of sites that advertise or are trying to sell a product.
- Look for websites with an editorial board that reviews content: They should also list a way to reach someone associated with the website.
- Review the website's Mission Statement or About Us section.
- When in doubt, print it out: If you read something that you are unsure of, make a note of it and ask your doctor or parent to help you review the information.