Getting into Adolescent HEADS!

The HEADS survey is a useful clinical tool to screen for adolescent generic health and psychosocial issues in clinical consultations.

H

• Home (Relationships, social support, household chores)

E

• Education (School, exams, work experience, career) Are you at school? What year are you in? What is your favorite subject?
• Exercise (General) How do you keep fit? What about dancing, martial arts...

A

• Activities (Peers) What do you do for fun? What do you do with your friends?
• Affect Many young people feel down or sad at times. When did you last feel like this? Have you ever felt that life is not worth living?
• Ambitions What do you want to do when you leave school?

D

• Dental Care
• Diet (Calcium, vitamin D, weight, caffeine)
• Driving
• Drugs, cigarettes, alcohol Some young people experiment with cigarettes and alcohol. In your year at school, do people smoke, drink, or use illicit drugs? What about your friends?And you?

S

• Sex (Concerns, periods, contraception) Most young people become more interested in closer relationships at your age. Do you have close friends? Have you ever been sexually active?
• Sleep Adapted from: Goldenring JM, Cohen E. Getting into adolescent heads. Contemp Pediatr 1988