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Illness & disability

List of illnesses and disabilities

Click on a topic below for links to more information. The topics are listed in alphabetical order. For more information on dealing with health issues in general, check out "Dealing with a Health Condition."

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z


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Alcohol abuse and alcoholism top

Al-Anon/Alateen Your are exiting this site icon

Drinking: It Can Spin Your World Around: Facts for Teens (Copyright © AAFP) Your are exiting this site icon

Girl Talk: Choices and Consequences of Underage Drinking Your are exiting this site icon

Read our section on straight talk about alcohol.

Students Against Destructive Decisions Your are exiting this site icon

The Cool Spot Your are exiting this site icon

Too Smart to Start: Tweens Your are exiting this site icon

Allergies top

Allergies

Food Allergies

Food Allergies in the Real World Your are exiting this site icon

Food Allergy News for Kids and Teens (Copyright © Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network) Your are exiting this site icon

Just for Kids (Copyright © AAAAI) Your are exiting this site icon

Milk Allergy: A Guide for Teens (Copyright © CYWH) Your are exiting this site icon

Teen Worker Safety in Restaurants: Latex Allergy Your are exiting this site icon

Alopecia areata top

Children's Alopecia Project Your are exiting this site icon

Hair Loss

Wigs for Kids Your are exiting this site icon

Amputation top

Amputee Coalition of America Youth Camp Your are exiting this site icon

YAZ: Youth Amputee eZine Your are exiting this site icon

Anxiety disorders top

Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety (Copyright © The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands) Your are exiting this site icon

Going to a Psychologist, Psychiatrist, or Therapist

Arthritis top

Juvenile Arthritis (Copyright © Arthritis Foundation) Your are exiting this site icon

Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis Your are exiting this site icon

Asperger syndrome top

Autism

Kids' Quest: Autism Your are exiting this site icon

Asthma top

Asthma Center

Meeting the Challenge: Don’t Let Asthma Keep You out of the Game Your are exiting this site icon

Just for Kids (Copyright © AAAAI) Your are exiting this site icon

Quest for the Code: Asthma Game (Copyright © Starlight Children's Foundation) Your are exiting this site icon

Read our section on Asthma.

The Asthma Wizard (Copyright © National Jewish Medical and Research Center)

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) top

AD/HD and Driving (Copyright © CHADD) Your are exiting this site icon

Read our section on learning disabilities and ADHD.

Understanding ADHD

Autism and autism spectrum disorders top

Autism

Kids' Quest: Autism Your are exiting this site icon

Bipolar disorder top

Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar Disorder (Copyright © The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands) Your are exiting this site icon

Adobe PDF document Is it Just a Mood... Or Something Else? Information on Mood Disorders for Young People (Copyright © DBSA) (PDF - 239KB) Your are exiting this site icon

Flipswitch — For Girls Only (Copyright © CABF) Your are exiting this site icon

Bleeding disorders top

Hemophilia

National Hemophilia Foundation Youthworld Your are exiting this site icon

Understanding von Willebrand Disease

Blindness and low vision top

Blindness – Written for Kids (Copyright © MCWDN) Your are exiting this site icon

National Federation of the Blind: Students (Copyright © NFB) Your are exiting this site icon

Read our section on Blindness and low vision.

The Braille Bug (Copyright © AFB) Your are exiting this site icon

The National Library Service Kids Zone Your are exiting this site icon

Visual Impairment

Brain injury top

Read our section on brain injury.

Heads Up: Concussion in High School Sports Your are exiting this site icon

ThinkFirst! For Teens (Copyright © ThinkFirst) Your are exiting this site icon

Burn injury top

Burns Your are exiting this site icon

Teen Worker Safety in Restaurants: Cooking Burns Your are exiting this site icon

Adobe PDF document The X-Men in: Life Lessons (Copyright © Starlight Children’s Foundation) (PDF - 7.7MB) Your are exiting this site icon

Cancer top

2bMe (Copyright © CTFA Foundation) Your are exiting this site icon

Coping With Chemo (Copyright © Starlight Children's Foundation) Your are exiting this site icon

CureSearch: For Patients (Copyright © CureSearch) Your are exiting this site icon

For Teens Only (Copyright © Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center) Your are exiting this site icon

Kids Cancer Network Your are exiting this site icon

Reproductive Questions and Answers for Cancer Survivors: A Guide for Teens (Copyright © Center for Young Women's Health) Your are exiting this site icon

Teens Living with Cancer (Copyright © Melissa’s Living Legacy Foundation) Your are exiting this site icon

Types of Cancer Teens Get Your are exiting this site icon

Celiac disease top

Celiac Disease

Cel-Kids Network (Copyright © CSA) Your are exiting this site icon

Recipes for Teens with Celiac Disease

Visiting the Doctor (Copyright © CSA) Your are exiting this site icon

Cerebral palsy top

Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral Palsy (Copyright © University of Virginia) Your are exiting this site icon

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease top

CMTA Kids' Page (Copyright © CMTA) Your are exiting this site icon

Facts About Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease and Dejerine-Sottas Disease (Copyright © MDA) Your are exiting this site icon

Chronic fatigue syndrome top

A Guidebook by and for Young People with CFIDS (Copyright © CFIDS Association of America) Your are exiting this site icon

CFS in Youth Home Page (Copyright © CFID Association of America) Your are exiting this site icon

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Your are exiting this site icon

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Your are exiting this site icon

Chronic illness top

Brave Kids Your are exiting this site icon

Dealing with a Health Condition

Impact of Chronic Illness on College Planning: A Guide for Teens (Copyright © CYWH) Your are exiting this site icon

Information for Teens and Young Adults (Copyright © AHTP) Your are exiting this site icon

Kids As Self Advocates (KASA) Your are exiting this site icon

Make-a-Wish Foundation Your are exiting this site icon

Starlight Children's Foundation Your are exiting this site icon

Cleft lip and palate top

As You Get Older (Copyright © CPF) Your are exiting this site icon

Building a Healthy Body Image and Good Self-Esteem: A Guide for Teens with Facial Differences (Copyright © CYWH) Your are exiting this site icon

Cleft Palate Foundation (Copyright © CPF) Your are exiting this site icon

Dealing with Cleft Lip and Palate

Crohn's disease top

Crohn's & Colitis: Tips for Parents, Teens, and Kids (Copyright © CCFA) Your are exiting this site icon

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Adobe PDF document Teen Guide: Dealing with Crohn's & Colitis (Copyright © Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America) (PDF - 2.7MB) Your are exiting this site icon

UC and Crohn’s (Copyright © CCFA) Your are exiting this site icon

Cystic fibrosis top

Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic Fibrosis: Diet and Nutrition

Adobe PDF document Nutrition for Teens with Cystic Fibrosis (Copyright © CFF) (PDF - 132KB)

Recipes for Teens with Cystic Fibrosis

Deafness and being hard of hearing top

Hearing Impairment

Hearing Impairment: Advice from Kristin

Hear Our Voices (Copyright © AG Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing) Your are exiting this site icon

Listen To Your Buds! (Copyright © ASHA) Your are exiting this site icon

National Association of the Deaf Youth Leadership Programs (Copyright © NAD) Your are exiting this site icon

Read our section on Deafness and being hard of hearing.

Stories from Deaf Kids and Adults (Copyright © The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia) Your are exiting this site icon

Depression top

5 Ways to Fight Depression

Dealing with Teen Depression: Tips and Tools for Helping Yourself or a Friend (Copyright © HelpGuide.org) Your are exiting this site icon

Depression

Depression (Copyright © The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands) Your are exiting this site icon

Depression: A Guide for Teens (Copyright © CYWH) Your are exiting this site icon

Read our section on getting help with depression.

Diabetes top

Diabetes (Copyright © CYWH) Your are exiting this site icon

Diabetes Center

Kids Online (Copyright © JDRF) Your are exiting this site icon

Kids' Zone (Copyright © APMA) Your are exiting this site icon

Living With Diabetes: Everyday Life (Copyright © ADA) Your are exiting this site icon

Planet D (Copyright © ADA) Your are exiting this site icon

Read our section on diabetes.

Adobe PDF document Tips for Teens with Diabetes: Be Active! (PDF - 1.2MB) Your are exiting this site icon

Adobe PDF document Tips for Teens with Diabetes: Make Healthy Food Choices (PDF - 297KB) Your are exiting this site icon

Adobe PDF document Tips for Teens with Diabetes: Stay at a Healthy Weight (PDF - 560KB) Your are exiting this site icon

Adobe PDF document Tips for Teens with Diabetes: What is Diabetes? (PDF - 781KB) Your are exiting this site icon

Adobe PDF document Tips for Teens with Diabetes: Dealing With the Ups and Downs of Diabetes (PDF - 198KB) Your are exiting this site icon

Down syndrome top

Down Syndrome

Down Syndrome: Teens & Young Adults (Copyright © NACD) Your are exiting this site icon

Read our Spotlight on Katie Sullivan.

Drug abuse and addiction top

Above the Influence Your are exiting this site icon

Check Yourself (Copyright © Partnership for a Drug-Free America) Your are exiting this site icon

ClubDrugs.gov Your are exiting this site icon

Dealing With Addiction

Heads Up: Real News about Drugs and Your Body Your are exiting this site icon

Marijuana: Facts for Teens Your are exiting this site icon

My friend thinks I have a drinking and drug problem

National Institute on Drug Abuse for Teens Your are exiting this site icon

Read more about drug abuse in our Drugs and Alcohol section.

Teen Drug Abuse Your are exiting this site icon

TeenZeen Your are exiting this site icon

Dwarfism top

Little People of America Your are exiting this site icon

Little People of America: Frequently Asked Questions (Copyright © Little People of America, Inc.) Your are exiting this site icon

Short Persons Support Your are exiting this site icon

Eating disorders top

Eating Disorders (Copyright © CYWH) Your are exiting this site icon

Eating Disorders: Facts For Teens (Copyright © AAFP) Your are exiting this site icon

Eating Disorder Treatment and Recovery: Help for Anorexia and Bulimia (Copyright © Helpguide.org) Your are exiting this site icon

I Think My Friend May Have an Eating Disorder. What Should I do?

Information for Women and Girls (Copyright © NEDA) Your are exiting this site icon

Read our section on Body Image and Eating Disorders. Your are exiting this site icon

Endometriosis top

Endometriosis

Endometriosis: A Guide for Teens (Copyright © CYWH) Your are exiting this site icon

Adobe PDF document Endometriosis and You (Copyright © Endometriosis Research Center) (PDF - 1.3MB) Your are exiting this site icon

Epilepsy top

Epilepsy

For Teens (Copyright © Epilepsy Foundation) Your are exiting this site icon

Information for Teens (Copyright © Epilepsy.com)

Kidsclub (Copyright © Epilepsy Foundation) Your are exiting this site icon

Special Concerns for Teenage Girls (Copyright © Epilepsy Foundation) Your are exiting this site icon

Teen Zone (Copyright © Epilepsy Foundation) Your are exiting this site icon

Eczema top

All About Eczema

Fetal alcohol syndrome top

FAS Teen Fun Fair Your are exiting this site icon

Kids' Quest: FASDs Your are exiting this site icon

National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Your are exiting this site icon

Fibromyalgia top

Fibromyalgia Pain: Options for Coping (Copyright © MFMER) Your are exiting this site icon

Juvenile Fibromyalgia (Copyright National Fibromyalgia Association) Your are exiting this site icon

Juvenile Primary Fibromyalgia Syndrome (Copyright © Cincinnati Children’s Hospital) Your are exiting this site icon

GERD (Gastroesophageal reflux disease) top

Children's Digestive Health and Nutrition Foundation Your are exiting this site icon

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)

Teen's Checklist for GER or GERD (Copyright © CDHNF) Your are exiting this site icon

Growth hormone deficiency top

Growth Problems

The Magic Foundation Kids Club (Copyright © The Magic Foundation) Your are exiting this site icon

Heart diseases top

Atrial Septal Defect

Be the Beat! (Copyright © American Heart Association) Your are exiting this site icon

Empower ME (Copyright © AHA) Your are exiting this site icon

Heart Disease

The Bad Fats Brothers (Copyright © American Heart Association) Your are exiting this site icon

HIV infection and AIDS top

AIDS, Sex, and Teens (Copyright © AVERT) Your are exiting this site icon

AIDSinfo Your are exiting this site icon

Drugs + HIV: Learn the Link Your are exiting this site icon

Healthy Youth: Sexual Risk Behaviors Your are exiting this site icon

HIV and AIDS

HIV and AIDS (Copyright © Planned Parenthood) Your are exiting this site icon

HIV Testing Resources

Staying Alive Campaign Your are exiting this site icon

Voices of Youth (Copyright © UNICEF) Your are exiting this site icon

Huntington’s disease top

Afraid: A book for children "at risk" for Huntington's Disease (Copyright © HD Lighthouse) Your are exiting this site icon

Juvnile Huntington’s Disease (Copyright © HOPES) Your are exiting this site icon

Juvenile Huntington's Disease (Copyright © HDSA) Your are exiting this site icon

Inflammatory bowel disease top

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Take Steps, Be Heard for Crohn's and Colitis (Copyright © CCFA) Your are exiting this site icon

Adobe PDF document Teen Guide: Dealing with Crohn's & Colitis (Copyright © Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America) (PDF 2.7MB) Your are exiting this site icon

UC and Crohn’s (Copyright © CCFA) Your are exiting this site icon

Intellectual disabilities (Formerly mental retardation) top

AAIDD Early Career Professionals Your are exiting this site icon

Intellectual Disability (formerly Mental Retardation) (Copyright © NICHCY) Your are exiting this site icon

Mental Retardation

Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis top

Arthritis in Children (Copyright © American College of Rheumatology) Your are exiting this site icon

Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis

Kidney disease top

Chronic Kidney Conditions

Information for Kids and Teens (Copyright © National Kidney Foundation) Your are exiting this site icon

Learn About Your Organs (Copyright © National Kidney Foundation) Your are exiting this site icon

Lactose intolerance top

Lactose Intolerance

Lactose Intolerance (Copyright © CYWH) Your are exiting this site icon

Read our section on Lactose Intolerance.

What I Need to Know About Lactose Intolerance Your are exiting this site icon

Learning disabilities top

Going to College: What to Look for in a Learning Disability Program (Copyright © LDRF) Your are exiting this site icon

Learning Disabilities

LDOnline’s KidZone (Copyright © WETA) Your are exiting this site icon

Read our section on learning disabilities.

SparkTop.org (Copyright © Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation) Your are exiting this site icon

Teen Place (Copyright © Learning Disabilities Worldwide) Your are exiting this site icon

Lupus top

About Lupus: For Children, Teens and Young Adults (Copyright © Lupus Foundation of America) Your are exiting this site icon

Lupus

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (Lupus) in Children and Adolescents (Copyright © Arthritis Foundation) Your are exiting this site icon

Mental health top

Change Your Mind About Mental Health (Copyright © APA) Your are exiting this site icon

CopeCareDeal (Copyright © The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands) Your are exiting this site icon

Create a Personal Stress Management Guide (Copyright © AAP) Your are exiting this site icon

National Runaway Switchboard: Youth & Teens (Copyright © National Runaway Switchboard) Your are exiting this site icon

Read more about your emotions in our Your Feelings section and about mental illnesses in our Mental Health Conditions section.

Strengthofus.org Your are exiting this site icon

Stress-o-meter Your are exiting this site icon

Talklisten.org (Copyright © Boston Public Health Commission) Your are exiting this site icon

Migraine top

Headache Headstart for Young Sufferers (Copyright © National Headache Foundation) Your are exiting this site icon

Migraine Headaches

Mono (Mononucleosis) top

Can a person get mono more than once?

Mononucleosis

Mononucleosis (Copyright © AAFP) Your are exiting this site icon

Multiple sclerosis top

Keep S’myelin: A Fun Resource for Kids about MS (Copyright © National Multiple Sclerosis Society) Your are exiting this site icon

Adobe PDF document Someone You Know Has MS: A Book for Families (Copyright © National Multiple Sclerosis Society) (PDF - 1.81 MB) Your are exiting this site icon

When A Parent Has MS: A Teenager’s Guide (Copyright © National Multiple Sclerosis Society) Your are exiting this site icon

Muscular dystrophy top

Muscular Dystrophy

Growing up, Staying Healthy, and Taking Charge (Copyright © MDA) Your are exiting this site icon

With a Little Help From Your Friends (Copyright © MDA) Your are exiting this site icon

Narcolepsy top

Common Sleep Problems

Neuroscience for Kids: Narcolepsy (Copyright © Eric H. Chudler) Your are exiting this site icon

Sleep for Kids (Copyright © NSF) Your are exiting this site icon

Obesity top

Healthy Eating: A Guide for Teens (Copyright © CYWH) Your are exiting this site icon

How Can I Lose Weight Safely?

Read our sections on Nutrition and Fitness.

Take Charge of Your Health: A Guide for Teenagers Your are exiting this site icon

The Bad Fats Brothers (Copyright © American Heart Association) Your are exiting this site icon

When Being Overweight is a Health Problem

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) top

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

What You Need to Know About Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (Copyright ©International OCD Foundation) Your are exiting this site icon

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) top

Read our section on PCOS.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS): A Guide for Teens (Copyright © CYWH) Your are exiting this site icon

PCOS Guide for Teems: Preparing for Your Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (Copyright © CYWH) Your are exiting this site icon

Posttraumatic stress disorder top

Adobe PDF document Crime, Teens, and Trauma (Copyright © NCVC) (PDF - 145KB) Your are exiting this site icon

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Teen Stressors: Trauma/Violence/Sexual Abuse Stressors (Copyright © Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center) Your are exiting this site icon

Psoriasis top

Facts about Psoriasis (Copyright © National Psoriasis Foundation) Your are exiting this site icon

Living With Psoriasis (Copyright © National Psoriasis Foundation) Your are exiting this site icon

National Psoriasis Foundation: For Teens (Copyright © National Psoriasis Foundation Your are exiting this site icon

Psoriasis: Lifestyle Factors and Social Life (Copyright © National Psoriasis Foundation) Your are exiting this site icon

Rett syndrome top

Entering Adulthood (Copyright © IRSF) Your are exiting this site icon

Rett Syndrome (Copyright © Autism Speaks) Your are exiting this site icon

Schizophrenia top

Childhood Schizophrenia (Copyright © Annenberg Foundation) Your are exiting this site icon

Childhood Schizophrenia (Copyright © Mayo Foundation) Your are exiting this site icon

Childhood Schizophrenia (Copyright © NARSAD) Your are exiting this site icon

Scleroderma top

Juvenile Scleroderma (Copyright © Scleroderma Foundation) Your are exiting this site icon

Tips for Living with Scleroderma (Copyright © Scleroderma Research Foundation) Your are exiting this site icon

Scoliosis top

About Scoliosis: What to Expect Before and After Surgery (Copyright © LISS) Your are exiting this site icon

Just for Teens (Copyright © ASSNA) Your are exiting this site icon

Scoliosis: A Guide for Teens (Copyright © CYWH) Your are exiting this site icon

Scoliosis: Samantha's Story

Sickle cell anemia top

Sickle Cell Anemia (Copyright © Nemours Foundation)

Sickle Cell Kids (Copyright © Grady Health System) Your are exiting this site icon

The Sickle Cell Slime-o-rama Game (Copyright © SCF) Your are exiting this site icon

Speech and language disorders top

Going to a Speech Therapist

Speech Problems

The Stuttering Foundation: Teens (Copyright © The Stuttering Foundation) Your are exiting this site icon

Spina bifida top

Spina bifida (Copyright © SBA) Your are exiting this site icon

Spina Bifida Information for Teens and Young Adults (Copyright ©  CMH) Your are exiting this site icon

SPINAbilities: A Young Person’s Guide to Spina Bifida! (Copyright © SBA) Your are exiting this site icon

Spinal cord injury top

Read our section on Spinal cord injury.

Spinal Cord Injury in Children and Youths: The Basics (Copyright © Shepherd Center) (PDF – 44.5KB) Your are exiting this site icon

Think First for Teens Your are exiting this site icon

Wheelchairs

Stroke top

Hip Hop Stroke (Copyright © NSA) Your are exiting this site icon

Neuroscience for Kids: The Blood Supply of the Brain (Copyright © Eric H. Chudler) Your are exiting this site icon

Stroke

Teens (Copyright © CHASA) Your are exiting this site icon

Thyroid disease top

Thyroid Disease and Teens

Tourette syndrome top

Matthew and the Tics (Copyright © TSA) Your are exiting this site icon

Planet Tic! (Copyright © Danya International, Inc.) Your are exiting this site icon

Tourette Syndrome

Tourette Syndrome Association for Young People (Copyright © TSA) Your are exiting this site icon

Turner syndrome top

All about Turner Syndrome

Girls Without Periods Your are exiting this site icon

Turner Syndrome Society Your are exiting this site icon

Ulcerative colitis top

Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis: A Guide for Children and Teens (Copyright © CCFA) Your are exiting this site icon

Inflammatory Bowel Disease Your are exiting this site icon

Adobe PDF document Teen Guide: Dealing with Crohn's & Colitis (Copyright © Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America) (PDF - 2.7MB) Your are exiting this site icon

UC and Crohn’s (Copyright © CCFA) Your are exiting this site icon

Ulcers top

Dealing with Ulcers Your are exiting this site icon

Ugh! Ulcers Your are exiting this site icon

Williams syndrome top

The Williams Syndrome Association Your are exiting this site icon

 

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Content last updated February 16, 2011

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health.

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