Gay teens and doctors: Don't Ask, Don't Tell

I don't usually write about studies but this is a new feature of the blog: a public service entry each day. KIDDING! I'll be just the same in 2007 - only better! So, my former Daily News co-worker Lisa Sodders, now with the Rand Corp., forwarded me this yesterday and I couldn't help but wonder if the results would be different if all doctors looked like Patrick Dempsey (McDreamy), or Eric Dane (McSteamy), or John Stamos (McPERFECT!):
Anyway, I digress. A survey of lesbian, gay and bisexual teenagers found that 70 percent said most people they knew were aware of their sexual orientation, but only 35 percent reported that their doctor knew, according to a new study by the RAND Corporation and UCLA.
“We knew that the sample that we chose was going to be a very ‘out’ sample,� says Dr. Garth D. Meckler, lead author of the study. “We figured they would have a higher disclosure rate than most youth, and yet, despite being out to almost everyone in their lives, only 35 percent had told their doctor about their sexual orientation.�
Various medical associations, societies etc. recommend that physicians discuss sexuality with all adolescents and provide nonjudgmental communication about sexual orientation. This is important because if a physician is aware of an adolescent patient’s sexual orientation, the doctor can offer appropriate health education and counseling, identify individual risk, and perform targeted screening tests and treatment.
Ninety percent of the teens had been to see a doctor in the past two years, and nearly two-thirds had gone within the past 12 months. But despite the fact that 66 percent thought it was very or somewhat important that their doctor know their sexual orientation in order to provide the best health care possible, only 35 percent said their physician knew their sexual orientation. Of those teens whose physician knew their sexual orientation, only 21 percent said their doctor had raised the topic.
One of the authors suggests that doctors can create a safe environment by not assuming the teen is heterosexual. Rather than ask a boy if he’s dating any girls, they should be open to all possibilities.  That will send a message to a gay teen that this is a doctor who understands sexual orientation. It will also send a message to all teens that this is a doctor who will likely be comfortable talking about whatever the teen wants to discuss.
This reminds me of when i was a teen (you had to know I was gonna make it about me at some point, right?) and my doctor, who, unfortunately looked more like Dr. Marcus Welby than Dr. McDreamy, had to give me a physical so I could get cleared to play for the high school tennis team. Somehow during the exam, I don't know when or how, the doctor concluded that I was gay! I dunno, maybe I was a little overly-sensitive that day or my clothes were suspiciously too color coordinated. He didn't ask me anything about it, he musta just had great gaydar. He mentioned nothing to me but he did tell my poor mother. Can you IMAGINE? She didn't say anything to me but later, as she was crying in her room, it all came out (well, I didn't). What came out was what Dr. Welby had said. I had already been hot-and-heavy with a few boys but I thought it was a phase. So, I assured her I was not gay.
But of course I was, and am! Unlike T.R. Knight, I really do think it's the most interesting part of me!