To Tell Or Not to Tell (Case Study‪)‬

Lisa, a fifteen-year-old who recently moved to a different state, is being seen today for the first time by a new physician for a well-child check. He has not yet received her medical records from her former doctor. In the exam room, she tells her new physician that she is healthy and takes no medications, only vitamins. She says she is an honors student, swims, and plays the violin. When the physician asks whether she is sexually active, she says no, but admits that she is thinking about it because she is in love with a boy from her old school. The two have been dating for a year and have recently started talking about having sex. The physician asks if they have talked about birth control, too. Lisa says they have and tells him that she started taking birth control pills a few months ago. The physician mentions the necessity of using a condom as well to guard against sexually transmitted diseases, but Lisa replies that they are both virgins, so neither has to worry about that.