The stages of life can be listed as childhood, adolescent (adolescence) / youth, adult period and elder life. Health status of these periods include different approach to protection from diseases, management of diseases and rehabilitation.
In our country, specialized health services are offered for childhood, adulthood and elder periods. However, adolescent services are inadequate. There is a need for manpower which is necessary to protect and improve adolescent health, to provide adolescent-specific health care services, and to teach adolescent health and illnesses before and after graduation during medical education. Also, considering the high population of adolescents and youth in our country, there is a need to develop public health policies for the health of future generations by taking into account the country and world problems in the adolescent period. The adolescent period is a long period, covering the age range of 10-19 (now considered to be 21 years old) with the definition of WHO and covers many physical and psychosocial changes and problems, including transition from childhood to adulthood. Adolescents should pass these changes in a healthy way and prevent risky behaviors, physical ( short height, puberty problems, breast diseases, gynecomastia, gynecological and obstretric diseases, abnormal uterine bleeding, varicocele, eating disorders, obesity, dermatological problems, orthopedic problems, athlete's health , and other chronic diseases) and psychological diseases (anxiety, depression, psychosis and other psychiatric diseases, attention deficit hyperactivity disorders, addictions, neglect and abuse, suicide, substance use, somatoform disorders), social problems (school failure, social isolation, healthy communication, coping and saying goodness skills, preventing risky behavior).
This management requires a multidisciplinary approach and it is necessary to coordinate these approaches correctly. Adolescents are neither children nor adults; for this reason, their problems should be handled by a different discipline and, if necessary, they should be cooperated with other disciplines. When these reasons are taken into consideration; In addition to protecting and improving adolescent health, providing effective and accurate services; Qualified manpower should be trained by opening the 'Adolescent Health Doctorate Program' in order to conduct research on the field and to cooperate with Health Authorities for the development of the country's adolescent health when necessary. Adolescent Health Doctorate is given only in two universities (Hacettepe University-2004 and Istanbul University-2018) in our country, currently only five people have completed their doctorate in this field, and the education process of seven people continues. Therefore, there is a need for trained manpower in this field.