4 Troubled Teens Blog

A recent report from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) concurs with earlier findings that adolescents suffering from bipolar disorder (BPD) are more likely to smoke and abuse substances. An article on the report appeared in the June 2008 issue of Drug and Alcohol Dependence. Timothy Wilens, MD, director of Substance Abuse Services in MGH Pediatric Psychopharmacology and leader researcher on the study, comments on the study findings:

"This work confirms that bipolar disorder (BPD) in adolescents is a huge risk factor for smoking and substance abuse, as big a risk factor as is juvenile delinquency. ... It indicates both that young people with BPD need to carefully be screened for smoking and for substance use and abuse and that adolescents known to abuse drugs and alcoholespecially those who binge useshould also be assessed for BPD."

Experts estimate that as many as 1 in 5 children and adolescents treated for mental health issues have BPD. (Source: www.sciencedaily.com)

Labels: mental_health, substance_abuse, bi-polar

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A study of young teenagers with bipolar disorder found that those who participated in 21 family-focused therapy sessions recovered more quickly than those who had only three sessions during the same nine-month period. Both groups took medications.

Dr. David Miklowitz and his colleagues at the University of Colorado in Boulder divided 58 teens (average age: 14.5) into two groups. Thirty teens and their families participated in 21 50-minute sessions to improve communication skills, problem solving, and knowledge about bipolar disorder. The other 28 teens had only three 50-minute sessions dealing with relapse prevention.

The group that had more psychotherapy recovered from depression more quickly and spent less time in depressive episodes. There were no differences in recovery rates or elapsed time between depressive episodes.

This study appears in the Archives of General Psychiatry.

Labels: treatment_programs, therapy, bi-polar

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Amy Smith felt relief and hope when her son Ryan was diagnosed as bipolar. She was elated to have found out what was wrong and begin finding ways to help him. Then, just three days later, her relief turned to despair when Ryan died of a drug overdose.

"Smith believes that chemical addictions develop more from prescription and over-the-counter drugs than the illegal stuff the pusher is dispensing on the street corner."

Ryan died, not from cocaine or heroin, but from a lethal mix of a narcotic painkiller and prescription pills used for treating panic disorder. Smith hopes that her son's tragic story will once again bring into the spotlight the often-talked-about, but also often-ignored dangers of prescription drug abuse. Source: Gainesville Times

Not sure what's going on with your teenager? The Aspen Institute for Behavioral Assessment can help. The Institute provides comprehensive tests to arrive at an accurate diagnosis and treatment program.

Labels: prescription_drug_abuse, bi-polar, overdose

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The number of kids seeking treatment for bi-polar disorder has increased 40-fold since 1994, according to recent surveys. Some believe that bi-polar has simply been misdiagnosed previously.

"'Given the preponderance of boys, their young age and the number of them also being diagnosed and treated for ADHD, all of these things are consistent with some misdiagnosis,' said Dr. Mark Olfson, senior author of the report and professor of clinical psychiatry at New York State Psychiatric Institute of Columbia University in New York. Factors such as irritability, rapid speech and distractibility are symptoms of mania in bipolar disorder but also of ADHD, he said."

Careful diagnosis is vital, not only for correct treatment, but to prevent treatment which may aggravate the condition. Antidepressants, for example, can worsen manic episodes in someone who's bi-polar.

Labels: bi-polar, diagnosis, misdiagnosis

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