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The Bipolar Child: The Definitive and Reassuring Guide to Childhood's Most Misunderstood Disorder

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About the Course

Bipolar disorder—manic depression—was once thought to be rare in children. Now researchers are discovering not only that bipolar disorder can begin early in life, but that it is much more common than ever imagined. Yet the illness is often misdiagnosed and mistreated with medications that can exacerbate the symptoms. Why? Bipolar disorder manifests itself differently in children than in adults, and in children there is an overlap of symptoms with other childhood psychiatric disorders. As a result, these kids may be labeled with any of a number of psychiatric conditions: “ADHD,” “depression,” “oppositional defiant disorder,” “obsessive-compulsive disorder,” or “generalized anxiety disorder.” Too often they are treated with stimulants or antidepressants—medications that can actually worsen the bipolar condition.

Since the publication of its first edition, The Bipolar Child has helped many thousands of families get to the root cause of their children’s behaviors and symptoms and find what they need to know. The Papoloses comprehensively detail the diagnosis, explain how to find good treatment and medications, and advise parents about ways to advocate effectively for their children in school. In this edition, a greatly expanded education chapter describes all the changes in educational law due to the 2004 reauthorization of IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), and offers a multitude of ideas for parents and educators to help the children feel more comfortable in the academic environment. The book also contains crucial information about hospitalization, the importance of neuropsychological testing (with a recommended battery of tests), and the world of insurance. Included in these pages is information on promising new drugs, greater insight into the special concerns of teenagers, and additional sections on the impact of the illness on the family. In addition, an entirely new chapter focuses on major advances taking place in the field of molecular genetics and offers hope that researchers will better understand the illness and develop more targeted and easier-to-tolerate medicines.

This course is based on the book, The Bipolar Child: The Definitive and Reassuring Guide to Childhood’s Most Misunderstood Disorder created by Demitri Papolos, M.D. and Janice Papolos

Publication Date:

2006/Third Edition

Course Material Authors

Course Material Authors authored the material only, and were not involved in creating this CE course. They are identified here for your own evaluation of the relevancy of the material this course is based on.

Demitri Papolos, M.D.
Dr. Papolos is an associate professor of psychiatry at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City and the codirector of the Program in Behavioral Genetics. He is the director of research of the Juvenile Bipolar Research Foundation, and is in private practice in New York City and Westport, Connecticut.
Janice Papolos
Janice Papolos is the author of three other books, all recognized as definitive in their fields, and is the editor of the highly respected _Bipolar Child Newsletter_. The Papoloses are the authors of the classic text _Overcoming Depression_, now in its third edition.

Course Creator

Dan Rebek, Ph.D.

Recommended For:

This course is recommended for parents of children with bipolar disorder, or for health care professionals, especially psychologists, counselors, social workers, and nurses who seek knowledge about pediatric bipolar disorder. It is appropriate for all levels of participants' knowledge.

Course Objectives:

After taking this course, you should be able to:

  1. Discuss the impact of public and private insurance programs on the treatment of children with bipolar disorder.
  2. Explain the special considerations involved in the treatment of the bipolar teen.
  3. Describe the role of neuropsychological testing in the treatment of children with bipolar disorder.
  4. Explain the requirements of the federal law with regard to the education of children with bipolar disorder.
  5. Discuss the impact of pediatric bipolar disorder on the family.
  6. Discuss current theories on the causes of pediatric bipolar disorder.
  7. Distinguish between ADHD and pediatric bipolar disorder
  8. Discuss the psychological manifestations of pediatric bipolar disorder.
  9. Discuss the genetic aspects of bipolar disorder.
  10. Explain the risks and benefits of antidepressant and stimulant medications in the treatment of children with pediatric bipolar disorder.
  11. List and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the various medications used to treat pediatric bipolar disorder.
  12. Describe the characteristics of a clinician qualified to treat pediatric bipolar disorder.
  13. Explain how pediatric bipolar disorder differs from the adult form of the condition, as described in the DSM-IV.
  14. Describe the experiences of parents of children with bipolar disorder.
  15. Discuss the experience of patients and family members when a child is hospitalized.

Disclosure to Learners

Disclosure of Relevant Financial Relationships

CE Learning Systems adheres to the ACCME's Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Medical Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity – including faculty, planners, reviewers, or others ― are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (formerly known as commercial interests).

The following relevant financial relationships have been disclosed by this activity's planners, faculty, and the reviewer:

Planners and Reviewers

The planners of this activity have reported that they have no relevant financial relationships.

Faculty: Dan Rebek, Ph.D.

There are no relevant disclosures.

Commercial support

There is no commercial support for this distance-learning course.

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Course Retired
Course Number 100998
17 CE credit hours
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Exam Fee $81.19
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