New Screening Tool for Pediatric Bipolar Disorder

WHO/WHAT:
Dr. Mani Pavuluri of the University of Illinois at Chicago and colleagues unveil the first parent rating scale to screen for pediatric bipolar disorder during the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry's annual meeting.

"Bipolar disorder is often confused with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder," says Dr. Pavuluri, director of the pediatric mood disorders clinic at UIC and principal investigator of the study. "But this new screening tool differentiates between the two disorders, making it a valuable and reliable tool for clinicians."

The Child Mania Rating Scale - Parent Version, known as CMRS-P, is based on information gathered from parents, the most reliable source when screening for bipolar disorder in children. During development, researchers tested the 21-item rating scale with clinicians and parents of all socio-economic backgrounds. The entire scale can be completed in approximately 15 minutes.

Existing screening tools for bipolar disorder are not designed for use in children.

"We hope the new rating scale will provide the essential next step in conducting epidemiological studies to estimate the prevalence rate of bipolar disorder in children," says Pavuluri.

WHEN:
Oct. 22, 1:30–4:30 p.m.

WHERE:
Hilton Washington
1919 Connecticut Avenue NW
Washington, D.C.

DETAILS:
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depression, is characterized by extreme changes in mood. Patients may alternate between deep depression and abnormal and persistent euphoria, or mania. In children, the disorder is associated with sexual promiscuity, failure in school, and suicide. The disorder is often misdiagnosed and treated unsuccessfully.

For more information about the pediatric mood disorders clinic at UIC, visit
http://www.psych.uic.edu/pmdc