Objective: The characterization in the discursive space of 27 users of the "Consultorio Juvenil" (young peoples' clinic), their critical areas with regard to themes, actors, actions, values and situational perception schemes.
Method: Qualitative study with the use of semiotic analysis. Analysis was made in three steps: description of manifest text structure; codification in the quest for isotopes and internal organization analysis.
Results: There is clear differentiation between themes and means by gender; girls are more fully integrated into intrafamily relationships and boys into extrafamily ones. Formal engagement is a central theme for young women, while sexuality is for young men. In women a moral situation exercises influence over ethical criteria in the making of decisions; men show an individualist ethic. Both perceive problems as external, foreign to them, as part of their fate.
Conclusions: Social gender formation influences the critical areas, creating myths and behavior stereotypes. The tendency to see the problem as imposed can signify a health risk for adolescents.