Thanks to volunteers, since 1988, the Adolescentology Centre of Ancona, has provided specialized medical, psychological, social and legal advice to: a) introduce the adolescent and his family to their specific physical, psychological and relationship problems; b) organize lessons, workshops and meetings; c) offer adequate social health information concerning development, reproduction and fertility control, prevention of mental disorders, sexually caused diseases, and tumours; d) conduct research concerning epidemiological and patho-physiological data; e) provide adolescents with books, audio-visual aids, etc. The approach to the adolescent should respect the person in his psycho- physical entirety.

More than 700 interventions/year were carried out. 76.44% of the clients were 12-18 years old (6.16% < 13, 36.23% 13-15, 19.20% 16-18, and 14.85 > 18 yrs old); 23.55% were parents or educators that needed help in their problems with adolescents. When there was family conflict, the operator helped parents to behave properly among themselves and with their children.

Centre interventions were requested by adolescents in 21.01% of all cases; in 62.68%, the request was made by parents; in 2.17%, by physicians; in 1.45%, by teachers; in 12.68%, by others.

Request for help was specific in 60.52% and generic in 39.48%; realization of the need for help was good in 44.20%, sufficient in 36.23% and lacking in 19.56%; motivation and collaboration of the subject was good in 41.30%, sufficient in 31.52% and lacking in 27.17%.

The majority of adolescent requests concerned: a) school or vocational guidance and support (48.37%), b) family, couple or social conflicts (26.95%), c) psychological or psychiatric counselling in anxiety (4.53%), mood (2.77%), somatoform (0.76%), eating disorders (4.53%), and alcohol and psychoactive substance abuse (2.77%), d) counselling in internal medicine (3.02%), dermatology (1.51%), gynaecology or andrology (2.01%), and neurology (0.75%), e) legal counselling (0.76%), and f) other problems (1.27%). In 58.29% of all adolescent cases, the requests were made by females, with greater attention to psychological and relationship problems with respect to males.

Interventions consisted of: a) multiple clinical interviews (58.01%), b) single clinical interview (16.31%), c) medical examination (12.08%), and d) phone-counselling (0.91%). In 18.28% of all cases, intervention was single; in 58.58%, it consisted in 2-5 sessions; in 4.48%, it was <1 month; in 10.45%, it was <1 yr; in 4.85%, it was > 1 yr; in 3.36%, there was a follow up after 1 yr.

Generally, school or vocational guidance and medical or simple relationship problems took less time with respect to psychological and serious relationship problems.

The outcome was: a) resolution of the problem (34.70%), b) improvement (26.87%), c) abandonment (20.89%), d) no significant change (14.18%), and e) referral to another structure (3.36%).

B. Nardi, R. Vincenzi: "A multidimensional approach to the adolescent: the experience of the Adolescentology Centre of Ancona". Paper presented at the First International Congress of Adolescentology, Assisi, Italy, October 22-24, 1993.

Key Words: Multidimensional holistic approach, School guidance, Relationship problems.

Bernardo Nardi: Adolescentology Centre. University Institute of Psychiatry - Ancona.

Renzo Vincenzi: Adolescentology Centre. University Institute of Obstetrics and Gynecology - Ancona (Italy)