Bipolar Disorder Daily News Blog

Integrated Treatment, Childhood Bipolar Disorder

Multi-Modal Integrated Treatment for Youth With Bipolar Disorder
By Mani N. Pavuluri, M.D., Ph.D., and Michael W. Naylor, M.D.
Psychiatric Times May 2005 Vol. XXII Issue 6

Given the hectic pace of clinical practice, it is difficult to keep up with the research on pediatric bipolar disorder (PBD). This is particularly true in the area of pharmacological management. An effective, evidence-based algorithm for the pharmacological treatment of PBD will offer support for clinical decision making. For example, a single mood stabilizer has been shown to be ineffective in more than 50% of cases (DelBello et al., 2002; Kafantaris et al., 2001a, 2001b). Furthermore, a systematic approach to medication management will prove useful in updating a patient's treatment when faced with the development of medication tolerance. Finally, this framework will provide doctors with powerful means of collaborating with families. Our preliminary studies have also demonstrated effectiveness of integrating psychotherapy that is based on validating parents and children, while effectively solving problems related to affect dysregulation (Pavuluri et al., 2004a).

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