Mental Health Wellness

Mood Disorders Resources for Parents

Print Resources

• Pediatric Bipolar Disorders: A Handbook for Clinicians by Robert F. Findling, MD, Robert A. Kowatch, MD and Robert M. Post, MD (Martin Dunitz Press, Ltd., London, 2002). This is an excellent book with up-to-date information about the diagnosis and treatment of children and adolescents with bipolar disorders.
• More Than Moody: Recognizing and Treating Adolescent Depression by Harold S. Koplewicz (Putnam Publishing Group, 2002). With case studies drawn from his experience as a clinician and a solemn, meticulous exploration of the "arc of depression"; life events that can trigger it; the relationship between mood disorders and gender and sexuality; as well as treatments that provide relief and other pertinent topics, Koplewicz's important volume offers parents both a better understanding of adolescent psychological struggles and a practical guide to finding appropriate healing measures.
• The Bipolar Child: The Definitive and Reassuring Guide to Childhood's Most Misunderstood Disorder by Demitri Papolos, MD and Janice Papolos (Broadway Books, September 2002). This was the first book written expressly about pediatric BPD for parents and it contains much valuable information for parents about this disorder in children and adolescents.
• Lonely, Sad and Angry: A Parent's Guide to Depression in Children and Adolescents by Barbara D. Ingersoll, Sam Goldstein (Contributor)(Specialty Press, 2001). This excellent book by two clinical child psychologists offers sound information on many aspects of the illness and guidance for treatment. Ingersoll and Goldstein fully discuss the characteristics of depression in children and adolescents, coexisting conditions, diagnosis and evaluation, causes and treatment options.
• The Childhood Depression Sourcebook by Jeffrey A. Miller (McGraw-Hill/Contemporary Books, 1999). The Childhood Depression Sourcebook provides insight into why children get depressed, how to identify symptoms, and where to find appropriate treatment. Dr. Miller distinguishes how childhood depression differs from adult depression and how depression manifests during different developmental stages: early childhood, late childhood, and adolescence.
• Child and Early Adolescent Bipolar Disorder: Theory, Assessment, and Treatment edited by Geller B, DelBello MP (Guilford Publications 2002). This is the best academic text about pediatric bipolar disorders. It is the 'Goodwin and Jamison' of pediatric bipolarity.
• Surviving Manic Depression: A Manual on Bipolar Disorder for Patients, Families and Providers by E Fuller Torrey, MD and Michael B Knable, DO (Basic Books, 2002). This book contains an excellent overview of diagnostic, treatment, and family issues with BPD. It also includes a section on child and adolescent BPD, and extensive information about the various psychotropic medications used to treat this disorder.
• Bipolar Disorder: A Family-Focused Treatment Approach by David J Miklowitz and Michael J Goldstein (Guilford Publications Inc., l997). This book is written for therapists and contains a psychoeducational family treatment that educates the patient and the family as to the disorder, gives the family ways of coping with the disorder and hospitalization, works on medicinal compliance, and prepares the client and the family for any future episodes. Included is a nine-month outpatient program designed to help adult patients and families understand and manage the effects of bipolar disorder. Families learn about: 1) how to deal with their feelings that their loved one has a serious mental illness, 2) the nature of bipolar disorder, 3) problem solving techniques for difficult situations, 4) how to deal with manic relapses, 5) how to deal with depressive relapses, 6) what to do when you suspect your bipolar family member of substance abuse, and 7) the suicidal crisis.
• Bipolar Disorders: A Guide to Helping Children & Adolescents by Mitzi Waltz (O'Reilly, 2000). This book contains many chapters useful to parents with the last three chapters discussing insurance, school, and transition to adulthood. This book is particularly helpful to families of adolescents with BPD.
• Everything you Need to Know about Bipolar Disorder and Manic Depressive Illness by Michael A Sommers (Rosen Publishing Group, 2000). The author offers practical advice to patients for getting the most out of the various treatments that are now available for adults with BPD including medication, psychotherapy, electroconvulsive therapy and transcranial magnetic stimulation. The author also describes problems that are unique to women, the forms the illness takes in children and adolescents, the genetics of the disease, and ways to cope with the stigma of psychiatric diagnosis. This book is very clear, with examples and a glossary of terms at the back.

Web Resources

• Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation (CABF) (http://www.cabf.org/) The Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation is a parent-led, non-profit, web-based membership organization of families raising children diagnosed with, or at risk for, early-onset bipolar disorder. The CABF website is an outstanding source of information about this disorder for patients, parents and clinicians. This site also contains a searchable directory of bipolar support groups for families (http://www.cabf.org/community/supportgroups/local/search.asp).
• National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) (http://www.nami.org/) This website has several pages with good information about child and adolescent BPD, see (http://www.nami.org/helpline/bipolar-child.html). NAMI is one of the best advocacy organizations in the US for people with mental illnesses and their families.
• National Depressive and Manic–Depressive Association (National DMDA) (http://www.ndmda.org/) The National Depressive and Manic-Depressive Association (National DMDA) is the nation's largest patient-directed, illness-specific organization. Their mission is to educate patients, families, professionals and the public concerning the nature of depressive and manic–depressive illnesses as treatable medical diseases; to foster self-help for patients and families; to eliminate discrimination and stigma; to improve access to care; and to advocate for research toward the elimination of these illnesses.
• National Institute of Mental Health (http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/) This website by NIMH offers a list of recent publications regarding children and adolescents with psychiatric disorders. This site includes CRISP (Computer Retrieval of Information on Scientific Projects) which is a searchable database of federally funded biomedical research projects conducted at universities, hospitals, and other research institutions. Anyone can use the CRISP interface to search for scientific concepts, emerging trends and techniques, or identify specific projects and/or investigators.
• American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Facts for Families (http://www.aacap.org/publications/factsfam/index.htm)
  Norman Alessi of the University of Michigan originally developed AACAP's website and the Facts for Families section has proven to the most popular and useful part of this website. These 'Facts for Families' provide concise and up-to-date information on issues that affect children, adolescents, and their families. These pages may be downloaded from AACAP's website, duplicated and distributed free of charge to parents and others as long as the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry is properly credited and no profit is gained from their use.

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For additional information on this or any Health Topic, please call the Family Resource Center, 513-636-7606, or your pediatrician.

Written 5/03; rev. 6/05, 8/07

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