About Jason Bhan Expertise Insights into and general advice on the diagnosis, management and care to children and adolescents with behavior disorders, mood disorders, drug addiction, or social adjustment disorders.
I will not give specific treatment recommendations or perform online consultations.
Experience I am a board certified Family Physician with a special interest in pediatric and adolescent health. I have experience with pediatric and adolescent mood disorders (including ADD, ADHD, depression, Autism, and Autism spectrum disorders.
Organizations American Medical Association
American Academy of Family Physicians
Education/Credentials MD - 2000
Board Certification ACFP (American College of Family Physicians) - 2003
Expert: Jason Bhan Date: 5/14/2008 Subject: my teenage daughter
Question Hi my daughter is 15 years old and she experience voices in her head that tells her to be quick. Should I worry about this, she is a stressful person can this be related ?
Answer Stress and anxiety can be complicated - especially in teenagers.
Figuring out what 'voices' are is complicated too. Explanations could range from hearing ones own thoughts as voices, to a the concerning audio hallucinations that can accompany other psychiatric conditions.
I would recommend some sort of evaluation. It can either be with a family physician or with a licensed counselor (most insurances will require a physician referral first anyway). This can be difficult with all of the stigma that surrounds mental illness and disorders in our society today. It takes a certain amount of tact to suggest that she needs an appointment, then to get to the reason why. I suggest being honest, but you know your daughter best.
Should the voices become more diverse, or start to suggest things that are harmful or potentially harmful to herself or others, that warrants an emergent evaluation at the Emergency Room.
In the meantime, try to discover where her stress is coming from and how you as a family might decrease her stress. School, family, relationships, friends, and peer pressure are the most common causes of stress in her age group.
So, as I said, I would have her evaluated, and her family physician or pediatrician is a good start and the bare minimum to do in this situation. They should be able to discern whether there is any need for worry and what more need be done.
