Bipolar disorder, once known as manic depression, seems to be showing up in children at an increasing rate. It severely impairs a child’s emotional and cognitive development. It is associated with an alarming suicide rate, school failure, aggression, engagement in high risk behaviors such as sexual promiscuity and substance abuse. Often, early onset bipolar disorder (EOPD) is misdiagnosed as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or a “behavior disorder.” The Early Onset Bipolar Disorder and Affective Dysregulation Progam at Rush is committed to early and accurate recognition and treatment of this severe illness.

Our program provides a wide array of services to children and adolescents with early onset bipolar disorder. We offer:

Comprehensive Psychiatric Evaluations
Our diagnostic evaluations are performed by child & adolescent psychiatrists and psychologists who have experience in diagnosing and treating EOBPD. The evaluations include clinical interviews with the child and family as well as collateral information from school using standardized instruments which improve reliability. Comprehensive psychiatric evaluations usually require several hours over one or more office visits for the child and parents. The psychiatrist then develops a formulation that describes the child’s problems and explains them in terms that the parents and child can understand.

Intensive Treatment Programs
Based on the results of our comprehensive evaluation, treatment recommendations are made. These may include:

• Mood disorder medication clinic
• Cognitive-behavior therapy
• Family therapy
• Liaison with the school and assisting parents at school staffings
• Admission to our inpatient and partial hospital program

Program Staff

• Louis Kraus, MD
• Shiraz Butt, M.D
• Marc Sandrolini, MD
• Hollie Sobel, PhD
• David Anderson, PhD
• Marcia Ward, LCSW