Faculty

Rasim S Diler, MD

Professor of Psychiatry

Contact Details

3811 O'Hara St.
Pittsburgh
 
PA
 
15213
Email
Website
Child and Adolescent Bipolar Spectrum Services

Education & Training

MD
Istanbul University

Current Appointments

Medical Director, Child and Adolescent Bipolar Spectrum Disorders Inpatient Unit

Professional Affiliations

Member, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Member, International Society for Bipolar Disorders
Member, Turkish Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health
Member, Bridging Eastern and Western Psychiatry

Selected Honors & Awards

Excellence in Care Award, Hospital & Healthsytem Association of Pennsylvania
Health Information and Technology Award, National Council for Mental Health and Addiction
Innovation Award, The Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association
Excellence in Clinical Medicine Inspiring Hope Award, National Council for Mental Health and Addiction
New Investigator Award, American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology
Achievement Award in Patient Care, Hospital & Healthsytem Association of Pennsylvania

Research Interests

Pediatric bipolar disorders; Neuroimaging; Developmental psychopathology
Selected Research Publications & Products
  1. Vahedifard F, Birmaher B, Iyengar S, Wolfe M, Brianna NL, Chobany M, Abdul-waalee H, Malgireddy G, Hart JA, Bertocci MA, Diler RS. Maximum and minimum activity in inpatient adolescents with Bipolar Disorders: Daily-Variability classification of actigraphy pattern with artificial intelligence, Psychiatry Research Communications, Volume 5, Issue 2, 2025, 100212, ISSN 2772-5987, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psycom.2025.100212.
  2. Bertocci MA, Rozovsky R, Wolfe M, Abdul-Waalee H, Chobany M, Malgireddy G, Hart JA, Skeba A, Brady T, Lepore B, Versace A, Chase HW, Birmaher B, Phillips ML, Diler RS. Neural markers of mania that distinguish inpatient adolescents with bipolar disorder from those with other psychopathology. Psychiatry Res. 2024 Mar; 333:115747. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2024.115747. Epub 2024 Jan 26. PMID: 38301286.
  3. Diler RS, Merranko JA, Hafeman D, Goldstein TR, Goldstein BI, Hower H, Gill MK, Axelson DA, Ryan N, Strober M, Keller MB, Yen S, Hunt JI, Weinstock LM, Iyengar S, Birmaher BB. Higher socioeconomic status and less parental psychopathology improve prognosis in youths with bipolar disorder. J Affect Disord. 2022 Apr 1; 302:185-193. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.01.058. Epub 2022 Jan 13. PMID: 35033593.
  4. Diler RS, Goldstein T, Hafeman D, Merranko J, Liao F, Goldstein B, Hower H, Gill MK, Hunt J, Yen S, Keller MB, Axelson D, Strober M, Iyengar S, Ryan N, Birmaher B. Distinguishing bipolar depression from unipolar depression in youth- preliminary findings. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology. 2017 27:310-319. doi: 10.1089/cap.2016.0154. Epub 2017 Feb 28. PMID: 28398819
  5. Diler RS, Segreti AM, Ladouceur CD, Almeida JR, Birmaher B, Axelson D, Phillips ML, Pan L. Neural correlates of treatment in adolescents with bipolar depression during response inhibition. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology 23: 214-221, 2013. PMC3678567

Clinical Interests

Bipolar disorders in youth; Depressive disorders in youth; Digital mental health
Selected Clinical Publications & Products
  1. Diler RS. Clinical Characteristics of Mixed Manic Features in Pediatric Depression. Symposium 16.2 at 2024 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA, Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2024 Oct 1;63(10):S335-6, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2024.07.617.
  2. Diler RS. Mood Disorders in Youth With ADHD. In Institute 7.2: Mastering ADHD: Managing Comorbidities and Optimizing Medication Tolerability (Chairs: Dr. Raman Bajewa and Tim Wilens) at the 2024 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA, Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2024 Oct 1;63(10):S154. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2024.07.617
  3. Diler RS, Birmaher B, Merranko J, Hafeman D, Goldstein TR, Herisko C, RN, Nash KC, DePietro F, Wolfe M, Chobany M, Lepore B, Vahedifard F, Hart J, Malgireddy G, Hahn T, Bertocci MA. Modified Brief Child Mania Rating Scale Is a Promising Tool to Screen Pediatric Bipolar Disorder in a Clinical Setting, New Research Poster, 3.13, 2024 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA, 10/17/2024. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2024 Oct 1;63(10): S209 - S210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2024.08.180
  4. Diler RS, Goldstein TR, Hafeman D, Rooks BT, Sakolsky D, Goldstein BI, Monk K, Hickey MB, Axelson D, Iyengar S, Birmaher B. Characteristics of depression among offspring at high and low familial risk of bipolar disorder. Journal of Bipolar Disorders. 2017 Jun 14. doi: 10.1111/bdi.12508. PMID: 28612977.
  5. Diler RS. Goldstein TR, Hafeman D, Rooks BT, Sakolsky D, Goldstein BI, Monk K, Hickey MB, Axelson D, Iyengar S, Birmaher B. Characteristics of depression among offspring at high and low familial risk of bipolar disorder. Bipolar Disord. 2017 Jun 14. doi: 10.1111/bdi.12508. PMID: 28612977

Education Interests

Research mentorship; Mentorship of child & adolescent clinical fellows
Selected Education Publications & Products
  1. Diler RS, Birmaher B. Bipolar disorder in children and adolescents-2025 Edition. In International E-Textbook of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Dr. Rey (Ed), by International Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professionals (IACAPAP) (chapter in the e-textbook; https://iacapap.org/english.html)
  2. Yilmaz Kafali H, Diler RS. Mood Tracking Technologies (Duygudurum takip teknolojileri). (Ed: Bildik T).In Digital Psychiatry/Dijital Psikiyatri, Ankara: T Clinical Sciences; 2022. p.127-35.
  3. Diler RS, Birmaher B. Longer-Term Management of Mood Disorders in Youth (Chapter #11). In Clinical Handbook for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Pediatric Mood Disorders, Manpreet Singh, MD. MS (Ed.), American Psychiatric Publishing. 2019 pp. 313-352. ISBN 978-1-61537-174-7.
  4. Diler R, Goldstein B, Birmaher B. Pediatric Bipolar Disorder. In Current Diagnosis & Treatment Psychiatry, 3rd Edition, Ebert MH, Lecman JF, Petrakis IL (Eds), Mcgraw Hill Education Lange, pp. 527-545, 2018.
  5. Diler RS (Editor). Pediatric Bipolar Disorder: A Global Perspective (international monograph). Nova Science Publications, NY. From the perspectives of America (North), Australia and New Zealand, Brazil, China, Japan, India, Italy, Israel, Spain, Russia, and Turkey, 2007

Psychiatry Research: Neural Markers of Mania That Distinguish Inpatient Adolescents with Bipolar Disorder from Those with Other Psychopathology

Drs. Rasim Diler and Michele Bertocci

Adolescents with manic or hypomanic episodes—key features of bipolar disorder (BD)—may experience delayed correct diagnosis or inappropriate treatment because some symptoms of BD are also seen in other disorders (such as unipolar depressive disorders and attention deficit/hyperactive disorder). A team of scientists from the University of Pittsburgh including Michele Bertocci, PhD (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry)...

Behavioral Health Experts, Patients & Families Attend Child and Adolescent Bipolar Spectrum Services Conference

Rasim Diler, MD and Boris Birmaher, MD

The fifth Child and Adolescent Bipolar Services (CABS) conference, focused on pediatric bipolar disorder spectrum disorders, addressed the theme, “Irritability and Bipolar Spectrum Disorders in Youth: Facts and Myths-Assessment, Monitoring and Treatment.” The CABS conference presents current research and clinical knowledge about the treatment of bipolar disorder and comorbid conditions to professionals, patients...

JAMA Psychiatry: Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Adolescents With Bipolar Disorder 

Dr. Tina Goldstein

Up to 50% of youth with bipolar spectrum disorder attempt suicide, and of all psychiatric diagnoses, bipolar spectrum disorder imparts the greatest risk of death by suicide in adolescents. Although multiple psychosocial interventions are effective for mood stabilization and for decreasing the risk of mood episode recurrence, no treatment specifically targets suicidal behavior in youth with bipolar spectrum disorder...

JAMA Psychiatry: Genetic Variants Are Associated with Risk for Bipolar Disorder

Birmaher et al. JAMA Psychiatry 2021

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a familial illness that is associated with functional impairment and increased risk for suicide and substance use. The disorder is highly heritable, and research has identified many common genetic variants associated with risk for the disorder. Studies including the Pittsburgh Bipolar Offspring Study (BIOS) have found that offspring of parents with BD are at elevated, specific risk to...

Behavioral Health Experts, Patients & Families Gather Virtually for Child and Adolescent Bipolar Spectrum Services Conference

Drs. Rasim Diler and Boris Birmaher at the CABS Conference

The fourth biennial Child and Adolescent Bipolar Services (CABS) conference, held virtually, addressed the theme “Untangling Bipolar Disorder in Youth: Comorbidity, Differential Diagnosis and Treatment.” The CABS conference presents current research and clinical knowledge about the treatment of bipolar disorder and comorbid conditions to professionals, patients, and families, and is organized by Boris Birmaher, MD...