Child & Adolescent Bipolar Inpatient Unit
WPIC Opens Nation?s First Bipolar
Child and Adolescent Inpatient Unit
The Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic (WPIC) of UPMC has opened the nation's only inpatient unit dedicated to serving children with bipolar disorder. The Inpatient Child and Adolescent Bipolar Services (in-CABS) program is an innovative initiative aimed at facilitating early identification and treatment of bipolar disorder in children during their initial visit to WPIC's emergency department. Rasim Somer Diler, M.D., Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, will serve as the Medical Director of in-CABS. Up to 15 percent of school-aged children seen at psychiatric facilities and approximately one-third of children discharged from psychiatric hospitals fit the diagnostic criteria for bipolar disorder. Symptoms of this chronic disease are mood swings that may include recurrent cycles of depression and mania, changes in levels of activity and functioning, inappropriate social behavior, hypersexuality, sleep and appetite changes, difficulty with concentration and racing thoughts. "Given the high morbidity and mortality associated with bipolar disorder, the common misdiagnosis as major depression, disruptive behavior disorders and ADHD, and the increased risk of suicide associated with incorrect treatment, it is critically important to distinguish bipolar disorder from other psychiatric conditions before the disorder progresses," said Dr. Diler. "With our novel, multi-layered approach, we will be better able to identify, diagnose and treat this extremely debilitating disorder."