By not complying with the medical treatment, they are making a statement about their own identity and how it is in their hands, not in their parents or the doctors'. Thus, compliance becomes associated with giving in. Moreover, many teens are worried about the medication itself. For example, "A teen may be wary of the side effects from the prescribed medication, and taking the prescribed medication may validate the teen's condition," (MassGeneral Hospital for Children 2009). By taking the medication, they are validating their disorder, which they may want to ignore. Thus, noncompliance serves as a method of denial -- denying the existence of the very disorder itself.

There are several ways that compliance can be increased. All parties involved should hold some responsibility for increasing compliance with treatment. Therefore, doctors especially should take time to adjust treatment to the teen's life in order to provide the greatest level of...
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