Faculty

Dara J Sakolsky, MD, PhD

Dara J Sakolsky, MD, PhD

Associate Professor of Psychiatry

Contact Details

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

Education & Training

MD
Temple University, School of Medicine
PhD
Pharmacology, Temple University, School of Medicine
Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC
Pediatric Anxiety Disorders, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Specialty Certifications

Board Certification
American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (Child and Adolescent Psychiatry)

Current Appointments

Associate Medical Director, Services for Teens at Risk (STAR)

Professional Affiliations

Member, American Psychiatric Association
Member, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Member, Anxiety and Depression Association of America

Research Interests

Pediatric anxiety disorders; Pediatric depressive disorders; Pediatric bipolar disorder
Selected Research Publications & Products
  1. Caporino NE*, Sakolsky D*, Brodman DM, McGuire JF, Piacentini J, Peris TS, Ginsburg GS, Walkup JT, Iyengar S, Kendall PC, Birmaher B. Establishing Clinical Cutoffs for Response and Remission on the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED). J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2017;56(8):696-702
  2. Axelson DA, Goldstein BI, Goldstein TR, Monk K, Yu H, Hickey MB, Sakolsky D, Diler RS, Iyengar S, Brent D, Kupfer D, Birmaher B. Diagnostic precursors to bipolar disorder among offspring of parents with bipolar disorder: A longitudinal study. Am J Psychiatry.2015;172 (7):638-46.
  3. Ginsburg GS, Becker EM, Keeton CP, Sakolsky DJ, Piacentini J., Albano AM., Compton, SN, Iyengar S., Sullivan K, Caporino N, Peris T, Birmaher B, Rynn M., March J, Kendall, PC. Naturalistic follow-up of youth treated for pediatric anxiety disorders. JAMA Psychiatry 2014; 71(3):310-18.
  4. Ginsburg GS, Kendall PC, Sakolsky D, Compton SN, Piacentini J, Albano AM, Walkup JT, Sherrill J, Coffey KA, Rynn MA, Keeton CP, McCracken JT, Bergman L, Iyengar S, Birmaher B, March J. Remission after acute treatment in children and adolescents with anxiety disorders: Findings from the CAMS. Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology. 2011;79(6):806-13.
  5. Sakolsky DJ, Perel JM, Emslie GJ, Clarke GN, Wagner KD, Vitiello B, Keller MB, Birmaher B, Asarnow JR, Ryan ND, McCracken JT, Strober MJ, Iyengar S, Porta G, Brent D. Antidepressant exposure as a predictor of clinical outcomes in the Treatment of Resistant Depression in Adolescents (TORDIA) Study. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology. 2011; 31(1): 92-97.

Clinical Interests

Pediatric anxiety disorders; Pediatric depressive disorders; Pediatric bipolar disorder
Selected Clinical Publications & Products
  1. Sakolsky D, Goldstein TR, Poling K, Dietz L, McKain B, Brent DA. Development of an adjunctive group intervention for adolescents with mood and anxiety disorders transitioning to college. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, April 2015; Miami, FL
  2. Birmaher B & Sakolsky D. Pharmacological Treatment of Anxiety Disorders in Children and Adolescents In: Essau CA & Ollendick TH, editors. The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of the Treatment of Childhood and Adolescent Anxiety. West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell; 2013. p. 229-48.
  3. Sakolsky D & Birmaher B. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) In: Rosenberg B, Gershon S, editors. Pharmacotherapy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Disorders, Third Edition. West Sussex, UK: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.; 2012. p. 131-54.
  4. Sakolsky D & Birmaher B. Developmentally informed pharmacotherapy for child and adolescent depressive disorders. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America. 2012; 21(2): 313-25.
  5. Sakolsky DJ, Birmaher B. Pharmacotherapy. In: Essau C, editor. Treatments for Adolescent Depression-Theory and Practice. New York: Oxford University Press; 2009. p. 241-60.

Education Interests

Resident education; Medical student education; Clinical and research mentorship
Selected Education Publications & Products
  1. Kolko DJ, Campo J, Kilbourne AM, Hart J, Sakolsky D, Wisniewski S. Collaborative care outcomes for pediatric behavioral health problems: a cluster randomized trial. Pediatrics. 2014; 133 (4):981-992.
  2. Sakolsky D, Birmaher B. Pediatric anxiety disorders: management in primary care. Current Opinion in Pediatrics. 2008; 20(5): 538-43. PMID: 18781116.

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 Network Open: Risk for Suicidal Behavior after Psychiatric Hospitalization among Sexual and Gender Minority Patients

Dr. Brian Thoma

The year following inpatient psychiatric hospitalization—particularly the first three months following discharge—are a period of high risk for suicidal behavior among psychiatric patients. Prior history of suicidal behavior, mood, anxiety, substance use, and post-traumatic stress disorders contribute to risk for future suicidal behavior within this population. Psychosocial stressors also contribute to risk for...

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...

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Promotes Dara Sakolsky, MD, PhD, to Associate Professor of Psychiatry 

Dara Sakolsky, MD, PhD, Promoted to Associate Professor of Psychiatry 

We are delighted to announce that Dara Sakolsky, MD, PhD, has been promoted to Associate Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Sakolsky earned an MD, as well as her PhD in pharmacology, from Temple University School of Medicine and completed general psychiatry residency training and a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital (WPH)...