Specifically, PM&R physicians: 1  Treat patients of all ages. 2  Focus treatment on function. 3  Have a broad medical expertise that allows them to treat disabling conditions throughout a personâs lifetime. 4  Diagnose and treat pain as a result of an injury, illness, or disabling condition. 5  Determine and lead a treatment/prevention plan.
The report adds that depression is the cause of numerous illnesses and disabilities which can both harm and kill teenagers. Self-harm caused by mental health issues is the third cause of death among teenagers, having taken the lives of over 120,000 teens in 2012.
Death among children and adolescents. Accidents (unintentional injuries) are, by far, the leading cause of death among children and teens. There are almost twice as many deaths in the first year of life as there are in the next 13 years combined. Then, the death rate rises rapidly after puberty because of the large number of accidents, homicides, and suicides in the 15 to 24 age group. These three causes of death in teens should all be preventable.